What the!
by Thine Dreamer Doth Take Flight
Summary: This story goes all over the place. Sasuke goes on a mission and returns with an appearance that has some questioning their attraction. This is hard to explain with a summary, so please read this and check it out. No flames, please. SasuSaku!
1. Chapter 1

**What the-?!!!!**

Sasuke disappeared for awhile.

Now he's back!

But something's changed about him.

And it leaves everyone questioning their attraction.

Chapter 1

Sakura sighed as she walked from training with Kakashi and Naruto. Life was horrible after Sasuke had gone away on that mission, and he hadn't return yet. For some reason, he was the only one who was sent on that mission. It made Sakura depressed that she wasn't at least with him. But Tsunade wouldn't allow her to go after him, so she would just have to wait until Sasuke returned.

Naruto was happier, now that Sasuke wasn't around. Now he didn't have any competition on the squad to see who was better. He could learn at his own pace, or the pace Kakashi put before him. Before he hadn't been able to do that because he was trying to keep up and beat Sasuke, but with him gone nothing could stop him. Of course, he still pushed himself to the limits as much as possible, but not as much as when Sasuke had been there. And since he was the only one Sakura could partially get along with, she often hung out with him.

Yup. She was that desperate.

Right now, she was heading towards the Ichiraku Ramen Shop with Naruto. He was trailing behind her, exhausted after their training. Sakura was tired, too, but she had used a lot less chakra than Naruto, so she wasn't as weak as he was.

"Come on, Naruto! I don't have all day!" Sakura shouted, stopping and turning around to look at him.

"…It's not my fault that I'm tired! We were training, remember?! I'm sorry that I'm so slow, but it can't be helped when I'm so worn out!" Naruto exclaimed. "The least you could do is wait up for me! That would be nicer than you speeding ahead of me!"

"Well, if you were just a little faster, I wouldn't be speeding ahead of you." Sakura muttered. "But fine. I'll walk with you. After all, that is the nice thing to do."

She waited for Naruto to reach her before walking again. He was surprised that she wasn't yelling at him anymore. She had been missing Sasuke ever since he went on that mission alone. Perhaps she had changed in Sasuke's absence, and was now showing her true colors.

"You wouldn't be this nice to me if Sasuke were here." Naruto stated, crossing his arms. "You'd be too busy trying to impress him to be this kind to someone like me. You're always agreeing with him and against me when he's here. No offense, but I don't think what you're doing is working on Sasuke. He just thinks you're very annoying."

Sakura resisted the urge to hit Naruto in the face only because he wasn't strong enough to fight back. "I'm not annoying, and I'm sure Sasuke doesn't think that I am. But you may be right. Sasuke doesn't seem to like me anymore than he did when we first met. I'm sorry that I treat you that way when he's here. It's just instinctive, you know. I mean, you always try to impress me because you have a crush on me. People try to impress those they have feelings for. It's just natural. By the way, what you do never works. Sorry."

"Hey, don't mention it. I know I'm horrible with that kind of stuff." Naruto said, grinning that infamous grin of his. "But at least I don't act like an ass in front of you…very often."

"That's true." Sakura agreed. "You act like an ass in front of everyone."

"Than-wait. Hey!!!" Naruto's eyes became white when he realized what Sakura had said. He glared daggers at her. "I do not!!! I just act like myself!!! I'm a knucklehead!!! I can't help it if I'm a little obnoxious!!!"

Sakura giggled. "Sorry, Naruto. You're right."

By this time, they'd inched their way to the Ichiraku Ramen Shop. Iruka was there, chowing down on a bowl of steaming ramen. Naruto and Sakura took their usual seats beside him and placed their orders. Iruka smiled at them when he saw how beat they looked.

"How was your day?" he asked.

"…Tiring." was Naruto's reply.

"Kakashi made us work on this extremely advanced training. We barely managed to understand how it works before Kakashi dismissed us." Sakura told him. "I'm so tired that I could sleep for five entire weeks if it were physically possible."

"Tomorrow, we're going to master that stuff! Then we can only get stronger!" Naruto announced. "We're on our way to becoming the strongest ninja in the world! Believe it!"

Sakura and Iruka exchanged smiles at that. Naruto was always this optimistic, even when it came to trivial matters such as training or missions. Anyone could count on him to brighten the day. Still obnoxious, though. That was his only real flaw. Well, that, and him being the number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja.

"So, I hear that Sasuke will be returning to the village sometime today." Iruka stated as Sakura and Naruto received their orders. "His mission was complete, and Tsunade told me that he will be back soon. That'll be great for you guys, won't it? Now your squad will be whole again."

"Sasuke's coming back? At last!" Sakura grinned from ear to ear, happy that Sasuke would finally be coming back. "I can't wait to see him! He's missed so much of our training that Kakashi-sensei will probably order one of us to catch him up! I want to help him if we have to! Naruto, would that be all right with you? I mean, you and Sasuke don't get along very well."

Naruto was too busy slurping down his ramen to answer right away. Once his bowl was empty, he said, "Sure, sure. I don't care. I'll be too busy getting ahead of him to help him catch up to us! Believe it! I'll be taking over his place as the strongest Genin to graduate in our year! Oh yeah! That's what he gets for going on that long solo mission!"

"Keep dreaming, Naruto. Sasuke will catch up to us quickly. He's a genius." Sakura remarked. "And that mission probably made him even stronger than he used to be. You'll see. We're not that much stronger than him."

"You'll see that we are, Sakura!" Naruto declared, grinning that grin of his.

"When you're done eating, we can go wait for him at the gates." Iruka put in, finishing his bowl. "From what Tsunade told me, he should be arriving soon."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Sakura was in a hurry to see him.

"We're not going until you finish that bowl." Naruto stated, crossing his arms. "And don't use that excuse that you're on a diet. Girls your size and age shouldn't diet. It's unhealthy. Besides, self-starvation is not the answer."

Sakura glared at him before picking up her chopsticks and slurping up the noodles faster than Naruto had. Then she picked up the bowl and drank the actual soup just as fast. She put it down with a bang.

"All right! Can we go now?" Sakura inquired, pulling out her wallet and paying for both hers and Naruto's ramen.

"I don't see why not." Iruka answered.

Together, the three of them left the ramen shop and headed for the gates. Sakura ran ahead, anxious to lay eyes on Sasuke after being away from him for so long. She hoped he looked exactly the same, that nothing had changed. She especially didn't want him to have any injuries. That would just break her heart in two. She had to be certain that he was all right before everyone else got to see him. It was only fair because she had been away from him for too long.

Naruto and Iruka struggled to keep up with her. They had to run pretty quickly to keep within a few feet of Sakura. If they had been walking, surely they would have been left behind. She sure was in a hurry to see Sasuke again.

They reached the gates five minutes later. Sasuke was not there yet. Sakura groaned and punched a tree nearby. It fell down and it knocked down several other trees.

_**CHA!!! WHERE IS HE?!!! WHERE'S MY SASUKE-KUN!!! DON'T TELL ME INO-PIG WAS HERE AND STOLE HIM FROM ME FIRST!!!!**_ Inner Sakura screamed, horrified and angry at the same time.

Iruka spoke to one of the ninja standing guard at the gates.

"Naruto, Sakura. Sasuke has already returned. It seems we were a little late." Iruka told them. "That man said Sasuke just left a few moments ago, and it seems he was heading for the Uchiha mansion."

"Then what are we standing here for?!! Let's go find him!!!" Sakura exclaimed, running off towards the village again.

"Wait, Sakura! We can't keep up with you!" Naruto called, he and Iruka running after her.

"If you can't keep up, then that's your problem!" Sakura hissed, barely glancing over her shoulder at them. "I want to find Sasuke, and I don't have time to waste! So hurry up, if you don't want to be left behind!"

She sped off into the village, only slowing down when actually in the village. Naruto and Iruka managed to catch up to her. Together, they began searching for the elusive Sasuke Uchiha.

He wasn't in the mansion, as the one ninja had predicted. Naruto had checked.

He wasn't at the Ichiraku Ramen Shop, and he hadn't shown up after they had left. Iruka had checked.

He wasn't at any of the stores or shops in the village. Sakura, with her anxiety, had checked all of those places.

So there was only one place within the village where he could be.

Sasuke was wandering around the village, in the crowd of many.

Great.

Sakura began looking for people with hair that looked like Sasuke.

Naruto looked for people that dressed like Sasuke.

Iruka looked for people who looked like Sasuke in general.

_Grrr...This is hopeless! We'll never find Sasuke1 He's playing games with us,_ Sakura thought. _He doesn't want us to find him. If he did, we would have found him already. Why does he have to do this to us? We haven't seen him in over two months. Why does he have to be so cruel? We're his comrades after all. We've saved his life several times, and helped him defeat powerful enemies. Why can't he just come out and let us greet him after his long absence?_

_That jerk! He's torturing Sakura by hiding from her! How insensitive!_ Naruto thought bitterly. _The least that jackass could do is let us find him after his long absence! Or, at least, let Sakura find him! I can't stand to see her like she is now! It's killing me! Come on, Sasuke! Do something nice in your life for once!_

Sakura caught sight of a boy her age with Sasuke's hair, a dark blue shirt with the Uchiha symbol on the back, and everything else Sasuke had worn. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized that she had finally found him.

"Naruto! Iruka! I've found him!" Sakura shouted happily.

_**CHA!!! IT'S ABOUT TIME!!! NOW WE CAN BEGIN TO KICK BUTT TOGETHER AGAIN!!! CHA!!! CHA!!! CHA!!! LOOK OUT, INO-PIG!!! SASUKE'S MINE!!!**_Inner Sakura screamed, punching air.

In her excitement, she ran towards Sasuke. Naruto and Iruka were right beside her.

"Sasuke! You're finally back!" Sakura shouted when she was right behind him. "How was your mission? Was it successful? Did you get hurt? Please, tell me everything! I've missed you so much, Sasuke! You've been gone for over two months! There's so much catching up we need to do!" That's when she realized that Sasuke wasn't responding to anything she said. "Um…that is, if you want to catch up on everything you've missed. I'm sorry if I'm bugging you. Just please say something, Sasuke."

But he remained silent, with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey! It's common courtesy to speak to someone when they're speaking to you! So talk, Sasuke! After over two months of you being gone, the least you could do for Sakura is say something! She's been dying without you!" Naruto exclaimed, glaring at the back of Sasuke's head. "Besides, you got lucky with that mission while the rest of us were stuck here doing minor D-ranked missions! You could at least tell us how it was!"

Sasuke wasn't moving. Naruto was getting very pissed at him, and he'd only been back a few minutes.

"Will ya at least turn around? I need to see that ugly mug when I'm yelling! Otherwise, it's like I'm having an argument with the wall!" Naruto yelled.

Slowly, Sasuke began to turn. Sakura worried that he may have been severely injured, and that's why he hadn't replied; he was ashamed of his injuries. She prayed that she was just being silly, and that Sasuke was just the way he had been before he left. And that was probably also the reason that he was ignoring her, because he thought she was annoying. That would be better than him being injured.

If only she were that lucky.

If only they all were that lucky.

No, Sasuke wasn't injured in any way, shape, or form.

But there was definitely something difference about him.

Well, technically, _two_ things were different about him.

Or, should we say, _her_?

Sasuke's face was more girly than before, although his/ her hair was exactly the same. Everything else seemed the same…except his/her chest. Two things that definitely weren't there before were now there, about a C cup in size. Naruto had to force himself to look away while Sakura just gaped in confusion and, most of all, shock. Iruka was just too stunned to speak. Then, finally, the right words reached all of their mouths.

"WHAT THE HELL-?!!!!"

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sasuke winced from the volume of their voices. He/she was surprised that even Iruka, his/her former sensei, was there and as freaked out by his/her new appearance as the other two. Boy, he/she had a lot of explaining. He/she had known that, but wasn't expecting it to have to happen so soon.

"Wh-why did you change genders on us?!" Naruto demanded, not looking at Sasuke for two reasons that have been mentioned in the last chapter. "Are you trying to creep us out?! 'Cuz you succeeded!"

Sakura felt lightheaded after screaming those last three words and looking at the girly Sasuke. She fainted from the shock. Naruto caught her before she could hit the ground.

"See?! Look what you did to Sakura!! You've confused and shocked her beyond repair!!! What have you got to say for yourself, Sasuke?!!!" Naruto exclaimed, glaring daggers at Sasuke, only to have to look away again.

"Naruto, c-calm down. I'm sure there's a…good explanation for this…" Iruka said, not looking as sure as he tried to sound. "Sasuke wouldn't turn himself into a girl unless he had a…good reason, I'm sure. And just because he appears to look like one…doesn't technically mean that…he's completely female." _Oh, who am I kidding? This is just messed up and so wrong on so many levels. I can't even begin to wrap my head around why Sasuke, the best graduating student of his year, would turn into a girl. But there's got to be a reason, right?_

"Well, whether there was a good reason or not, he's got a lot of explaining to do!" Naruto shouted.

"Yes, I agree. But we should let him tell us of his own will, not force the information out of him." Iruka told him.

"…Stop talking about me like I'm not here." Sasuke grumbled, his/her voice a little more girly than before. "I have ears, and I can here everything you're saying. So you could at least speak to me like a normal human."

"But you're not normal!!! You turned yourself into a girl!!!" Naruto yelled.

"You do it all the time with your Sexy Jutsu." Sasuke pointed out, angry himself/herself.

"Yeah, but that's not permanent!!!! You're probably 100% girl now!!!!"

"Naruto, cut it out!" Iruka ordered, shutting the blonde up. Then he looked down at Sasuke. "Sasuke, why don't we go somewhere less populated, and then you can explain this little fiasco to us who know nothing of your motives? It would be a lot easier than having Naruto draw attention to you and promise odd glances your way."

"…Fine…" Sasuke muttered. "Let's go."

Sakura awoke at that moment. She hit Naruto when she found herself in his arms and found herself staring at Sasuke. At first, she thought she had been dreaming about Sasuke being a girl, but now the truth was clear. He was a girl, and there was no way she could make that nightmare go away, for it was reality.

"…Hey, Sakura…" Sasuke murmured.

"AHHHH!!!" Sakura screamed, not liking his/her girly voice.

"Quiet down, will you? I don't need everyone staring at me." Sasuke whispered. "And don't faint again. I don't need that."

"Come on, Sakura. Sasuke's going to explain to us that he liked guys and changed his gender so he wouldn't be considered gay." Naruto announced as they left the populated streets of Konoha and headed towards their quiet training grounds.

Sasuke glared at Naruto, wanting him to reduce to a pile of ash. "I wasn't gay then, nor am I gay now."

Naruto grinned his infamous grin. "But you're a girl now, and girls have to fall in love with guys…unless they go for girls. So, either way, you're gay."

"…No offense, Sasuke, but he's got you there." Sakura muttered, keeping her eyes away from her former crush. "You were male, so if you fell for a male now, that would make you gay. Since you're female now, and you fell for a female, that would also make you gay. I'm sorry to say this, but you're never going to be able to love someone without persecution and humiliation. I sincerely apologize, with what's left of my heart."

Sasuke glanced sympathetically at Sakura. _I'm sorry, Sakura, that you have to suffer because of this. Very soon, you will understand why I did this,_ he/she thought. _I didn't do this because of you and the other fan girls. I did for my own reasons, and it's not because of you or anyone else who lives in Konoha. I hope you can get over this in time._

They reached their training grounds in almost no time. Sasuke leaned against a tree trunk like he/she had always used to do, but crossing his/her arms over the chest proved to be more difficult than he/she had remembered. Stupid C cups…Why didn't he/she give himself/herself something smaller like he/she wanted? Stupid C cups…

Sakura sat down awkwardly in front of him/her, her emerald eyes obscured from view in the shadow of her pink hair. Naruto sat down beside her, a huge grin still present on his face because he'd figured out that Sasuke couldn't fall in love. He still had to keep his eyes away from Sasuke…unless he dare stare at the artificial _things_ on Sasuke's chest. Sasuke would be sure to kill him for that. Iruka took his seat beside Naruto, thinking that after this story he wouldn't have the strength to stand.

"Where do I begin?" Sasuke wondered out loud to himself/herself.

"…You could begin with when you sent out on your mission." Sakura muttered, not looking up at her former crush. "…That was when you were still male…I'd prefer it if you started there."

"Fair enough." Sasuke cleared his/her throat. "Tsunade had assigned me to a C-ranked mission that I was to accomplish on my own. It was in the Land of Snow. My duty was to escort the princess, Koyuki Kazahana, also known as Yukie Fujikaze, to a conference in the Land of Wind and keep her and those with her out of danger from robbers and highway men. We had set off from the Land of Snow…"

_They were on a ship, heading for the mainland and the Land of Wind. Yukie, the ruler of the Land of Snow and actress of epic proportions, remained below deck to escape the cold. All of those who had come with her had done the same. Only Sasuke stayed on the deck, standing against the elements instead of dealing with those looks he'd always received from the female gender. He thought he would have escaped that when he left Konoha, but he would have no such luck._

_They had been at sea for three days now. Since Sasuke had taken a ship to get to the Land of Snow, he knew that they would reach their destination in an hour or so, since it had taken him just over three days to make his journey to Yukie. He wished that they would make it there sooner so that he could get this thing over with. He was starting to miss the annoying little knucklehead ninja and the pink-haired kunoichi who hit on him and the strange sensei he had on his squad. They should have been able to come with him, but Tsunade had said that they would be taking more important missions soon. Stupid Hokage..._

_Meanwhile, Sasuke watched the sea on which they traveled, and the moon that shone on its surface. It was full, shining with the glory that it could only possess for a couple of days each month. The tiny twinkling of stars couldn't outshine it now, but in a few days their radiance would dull its shine. In many ways, these space objects were a lot like people. The full moon represented the strongest of ninja while the stars represented the weaker ones. The full moon eventually wanes, as does the strength of that ninja. The stars seem to shine brighter, as does the weaker ninjas' strength appears to e stronger. Then finally, the moon is enveloped in darkness, resembling the death of the ninja. The stars remain bright, just like the ninjas' strength remains the same. Another powerful ninja takes over, and the cycle begins again. That's what Sasuke thought, anyway._

_An hour later, the ship ported at the mainland. It was still night; the princess would not want to walk at this time of night. So they would have to wait until morning to do anything. Sasuke figured that he might as well get some sleep before his role came into action. He started to head down to the place where the others slept._

_That's when he heard something._

_Quickly, he spun around, drawing a kunai knife in the process. He instinctively activated his Sharingan, for he couldn't see too well in the dark or dimly lit areas as the deck was. He spotted chakra, and three figures were jumping onto the ship. That's what he could tell with the Sharingan, anyway. He stealthily crept back up the stairs, making sure that they didn't creak underneath his weight._

"_What did I tell ya, Shibiki? They're all asleep, and this is the vessel that the princess is on." one of them whispered, the voice masculine._

"_...You were right, Namu. This'll be easier than we thought." another one whispered back, the voice feminine. Obviously, this was Shibiki._

"_Stop talking! We need to raid this place and nab the princess pronto!" the last one hissed, voice also masculine and husky. This man must be in charge. "Remember, the man promised a good sum of money if we brought her to him unharmed, and he said that we'd get to keep all the treasures we could find on this vessel. Now let's move out! We have no time to mess around!"_

"_Yes, Leisurra." Shibiki and Namu murmured._

_Sasuke stole over to them, keeping himself away from the lanterns on deck and making sure the moon didn't reflect on anything he had. They didn't seem to notice him at all as they began approaching the lower deck. _

'_This is the perfect chance to strike,' Sasuke thought. 'I've got to get them away before they reach the lower levels. Then I'll pry as much information from them as possible without bothering Yukie. She'll be happy to know that I saved her life.' He sure hated Yukie, but she was paying him rather well to do this mission._

_In one quick movement, he tossed his kunai knife into the largest man's arm. He growled in pain, and he turned around to look at who had drawn his blood. But Sasuke was too fast. He moved in the shadows with his inhuman speed and knocked that big ninja down. He fell on his comrades. Only the girl managed to avoid being squashed. But Sasuke was prepared for that, and he hit her hard in the neck. She passed out like the rest of her squad had done._

'_This was too easy. Whoever hired them obviously didn't know how weak they were,' Sasuke thought with a shake of his head. 'They're probably the same rank as me, or still in the Academy. Stupid weaklings...'_

_Sasuke tied them up and drained their chakra. Then he waited for them to awake. Judging from their forehead protectors, they were from the Village Hidden in the Stones. The largest man had the green vest of a Chuunin or Jounin on, proving Sasuke wrong about his rank. But the other two were just as plain as a Genin should be, only with their forehead protectors to prove that they were ninja._

'_So, two are the same rank as me, but one is either a Chuunin or Jounin. Interesting,' Sasuke thought. 'Their skills are just as bad as an Academy student, nonetheless. Any real Genin would have noticed someone moving in the shadows, no matter how silent they were. And a Chuunin or Jounin would have noticed something like that in an instant. The Stone village sure has some weak, idiotic ninja.'_

_The female, Shibiki, stirred from where she was tied up. She had dark purple hair that was pulled back into a ponytail and wore a long-sleeved dark green shirt, black pants, and navy blue sandals. Her forehead protector was around her neck. She appeared to be about 17, an old age for a Genin._

_She opened her eyes, revealing them to be a bright shade of blue. Shibiki tried to move, but found that she had been restrained. She glared at Sasuke, realizing that it had been him who had ruined her and her squad's plan._

"_Who are you? What is your reason for being on this ship?" Sasuke asked with his cold, emotionless voice._

"_I could ask you the same question!" Shibiki hissed before spitting at Sasuke. "There weren't supposed to be any ninja protecting the princess! Why the hell are you here?!"_

_Sasuke unsheathed a kunai knife and held it to Shibiki's throat. Her eyes widened at that action. A slight bit of her defiance disappeared from her eyes, replaced by fear of the loss of her life. Still, she seemed ready to defy his orders._

"_Answer my questions, Shibiki." Sasuke commanded, still emotionless._

"_...H-How do you kn-know my name?" Shibiki stammered._

"_You and your comrades aren't very quiet." Sasuke muttered. "Now answer my questions...or this knife will be the last thing you ever see."_

_To prove his point, he pressed the blade into her neck with increased pressure. She hissed in pain as it began to cut her._

"_All right! I'll answer your damn questions! Just please don't hurt me!" Shibiki pleaded, tears forming in her eyes. "I don't want to die! I'm only a teen! I haven't even begun my life yet! Please, don't hurt me!"_

_Reluctantly, Sasuke pulled the knife away from Shibiki's neck. She let out a sigh of relief, her heart probably racing faster than it should have. Sasuke gave her a few minutes to recover from her shock and adrenaline rush._

"_My name, as you know, is Shibiki. My partners, Namu and Leisurra, and I are from the Stone village. We were hired to capture the princess from the Land of Snow and raid the ship for any treasures worth stealing." Shibiki told him. "He promised to pay us very well if we completed this mission without injuring the princess or leaving any evidence that we had been involved, fearing that it might lead back to him. We were supposed to board the ship when it docked and capture her while everyone slept, as well as steal stuff. He said that there wouldn't be any ninja guarding the princess. That bastard lied to us, and now we have failed our mission. My comrades and I are doomed now."_

"_...Who is this man that hired you?" Sasuke wanted to know._

"_...His name is Kenji Nakata, from the Village Hidden in the Stones." Shibiki replied, hanging her head in shame. "He is a...very powerful businessman in my village. He kidnaps people and makes people pay to get them back. That's his specialty, but he's no ninja. He blackmails people, too. But the ninja have to do all the hard work for him, and they only do it because he pays very well. His plan was to capture the princess and force her land to pay a very high sum to get her back. But, like I said, that plan has failed."_

_Sasuke tried to recall that name. When he couldn't, he realized that Kenji must have only been known in the Stone village. He'd have to go after that man, or get the Hokage to send ninja to deal with that blackmailer._

"_...Are...are you gonna kill us now?" Shibiki inquired, trembling in fear, obviously terrified of the thought of dying._

_Sasuke gave a nod. "It is my duty as a Leaf ninja. If you had caught me, you would do the same, would you not?"_

_Shibiki considered that for a moment before slowly nodding. "I suppose you're right. Just...make it quick. And don't leave our bodies to be discovered by anyone. That would be most disgraceful for us."_

_Those three Stone ninja were dead and their bodies disposed of by sunrise. No other threats appeared after them. Yukie was safe...for now._

* * *

_Later that day, Sasuke escorted the princess and those with her to the conference in the Sand village. The council members were already there, since there wasn't a new Kazekage yet. He had been killed by Orochimaru during the Chuunin exams so that the snake could impersonate that man and get close to the Third Hokage. And he had succeeded in killing two powerful ninja leaders. The head of the council greeted Yukie with the utmost respect. Once she sat down, the conference began._

_Sasuke ignored the words being spoken, as they meant nothing to him. He watched the clock instead, waiting for this thing to be over. It was one thirty at the moment, and this discussion was to last until three. That meant he was in for ninety minutes of boredom._

_One thirty-five..._

_One-thirty-nine..._

_One forty-seven..._

_Two ten..._

_The minutes ticked by slowly while the princess and the Sand Council discussed an alliance so that the Land of Snow would have more protection. She was hoping that the Sand could send some of their ninja to her land and make them Snow ninja. Sasuke thought that it was unlikely that a village would donate their ninja, even to an ally, but didn't blame Yukie for trying._

_Two twenty-four..._

_Two thirty-three..._

_Two forty-one..._

_Two forty-six..._

_Arguments broke out among the council members as they debated over whether or not to agree with this alliance. Yukie grew tense beside Sasuke, worried that they may decline._

_Two fifty..._

_Two fifty-two..._

_Two fifty-four..._

_Two fifty-six..._

_Finally, the council had reached its decision. They agreed to everything Yukie had asked. In less than a month, Sand-turned-Snow ninja would be sent to the Land of Snow. And the Land of Wind would be an ally to Yukie's land._

_Three on the nose._

_The council and the princess stood up and shook hands. Sasuke stood up, and headed for the door. Yukie, sensing that he wanted to leave quickly, shortly followed._

* * *

_Back on the sea, for the third time, in Sasuke's case. The weather was shifting back from the warm weather of the Land of Wind to the bitter cold of the Land of Snow. The sun was up, and Yukie was on deck with Sasuke and the crew of the ship. Her ladies-in-waiting were still below deck, trying to stay warm. But Yukie, for some reason, was not with them. Sasuke found that odd._

"_You should be below deck." he muttered emotionlessly. "It's much too cold for you to be standing up here. You'll be struck ill if you're up here too long."_

"_Then you shouldn't be up here, either." Yukie shot back, shivering under her many coats. "I'm up here because there's something I need to discuss with you, Sasuke."_

"_...What is it?" Sasuke asked, concealing his curiosity very well._

"_...Last night, I heard something going on up here. It sounded like a struggle, like you were fighting someone else." Yukie told him, looking down at the sea. "...Someone snuck onto the ship after it docked, didn't they? Someone tried to capture me this morning, right? Am I right?"_

_Slowly, Sasuke nodded. "They weren't any trouble. Only Stone ninja hired by Kenji Nakata, a businessman and blackmailer from their village. I took care of them, so there's no need to worry."_

"_Kenji Nakata? Name doesn't ring a bell." Yukie continued to stare at the water. "Thank you for taking care of them, though. Nice to see that there's someone here who can hold his own. Are you going to pursue this man, or are you going to leave him to other ninja in your village? This man may strike again, you know."_

"_...I'll discuss it with Lady Fifth when I return to Konoha. Until then, you'd best be careful." Sasuke warned. "Even if the ninja are as weak as those I fought last night, those who are not ninja would fall against them."_

"_...I will be watchful." Yukie promised. "I thank you again, Sasuke Uchiha. Here's your payment for your troubles."_

_She handed him a pouch stuffed full with ryo. Sasuke uttered his thanks as he put it away. Yukie began to head below deck, but she turned around to look at him. She gestured for him to follow. He was still obliged to follow her commands until she was back at her castle, so he did as she told him to._

* * *

_Seven days later, everything was back in order. Yukie was back in the Land of Snow, Sasuke was back on the mainland. Now all he had to do was return to the Leaf village._

"Ooh…Is this where you get a boob job and have your face turned to look more girly?" Naruto asked, interrupting Sasuke.

"Naruto!!! Shut up!!!" Sakura exclaimed, hitting Naruto upside the head. She went to look at Sasuke, but forced herself to lower her eyes again.

"OWWW!!" Naruto cried as a goose egg appeared where Sakura had struck him. "That wasn't necessary, Sakura!! Regular old words would have worked just fine!! The fist was just unnecessary and painful!!"

Sasuke rolled his/her eyes. Naruto was always interrupting at the wrong times. If only he had let him/her go on without being cut off.

"Well, are you gonna answer my question or not?!" Naruto demanded, glaring at Sasuke while clutching the bump on his head.

"…This is just before I…changed genders." Sasuke murmured. "And, before you ask, it was a complete transformation. You know, the whole deal. Breasts, hormone replacement, and…the removal of a male anatomy part that I am not at liberty to mention."

Sakura's eyes bugged out at that. _So Sasuke's completely female...like me?!!!_

_**NO!!!!! MY SASUKE-KUN'S A GIRL, JUST LIKE ME!!!!! NOW I CAN'T LOVE HIM AT ALL!!!! IF ONLY HE WERE JUST A CROSSDRESSER!!!! THEN AT LEAST HE COULD CHANGE BACK INTO HIS OLD SELF WHENEVER HE FELT LIKE IT!!!! BUT NO!!!! HE HAD TO GO THE WHOLE NINE YARDS AND BECOME A GIRL!!! WHY?!!! WHY DID YOU DO IT, SASUKE?!!!!**_ Inner Sakura screamed, dropping to her knees and weeping into her hands.

Naruto's eyes widened. _SASUKE'S A GIRL?!!! Creepy...he has everything a girl has...and he was a guy! Guess I should refer to him as her now. I can't imagine the damage this is doing to Sakura at the moment._

Iruka was just creeped out by the fact that Sasuke was completely a girl.

"…Sasuke, why? Why did you do it?" Sakura managed to muster.

"…To be honest, I'm not exactly sure of the reasons myself." Sasuke admitted, an apologetic smile on her lips. "On my way back home, the thought just entered my head. I don't know why it was there in the first place, but it was. Perhaps it was because many people already confused me for one when they only saw me from behind. Or perhaps I just didn't feel right as a male. But, like I said, I'm not exactly sure why I did it. My heart just told me to. I entered a hospital, had many appointments with the doctor, and this is the outcome. I'm sorry, Sakura, but I don't think you can like me anymore like you once did. But, on the bright side, you won't be the only one suffering. Ino and all those other girls will be suffering, too, along with all or most of the guys we know."

Sakura couldn't help but smirk at that. It was true; Ino would suffer from this, too. She couldn't wait to see the look on Ino's face when she met the female Sasuke. It would be priceless.

"So, are you going to be a tomboy, or a girly-girl?" Naruto wanted to know.

"What do you think, loser?" Sasuke snapped.

"…A girly-girl." Naruto stated with that grin of his.

A nerve throbbed in Sasuke's forehead. "NARUTO!!!!"

Naruto chuckled. "Bye."

And he was off.

Sasuke chased that idiot, still as quick as usual. Sakura and Iruka sweat dropped slightly but also smiled. Even if Sasuke had changed into a girl, she would always be the same old Sasuke at heart. That was their only reassurance that everything would be all right.

Then again…

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The next morning, Squad 7 waited patiently for their sensei to show up. Sakura, who was still not used to seeing Sasuke as a girl, kept more distance from her than she had ever done in her life. Naruto, however, stayed close only so he could make cracks at Sasuke's transformation from male to female. Of course, Naruto never really _looked_ at Sasuke. And there were two reasons behind that. Those were the artificial things on her chest.

"So Sasuke, can you have babies? Or is that impossible for you?" Naruto asked, grinning.

"…It's possible, but highly unlikely." Sasuke muttered, tired of Naruto's teasing. "Most people who undergo a sex change have to adopt or look for other forms of birth. But there's still a slight, tiny possibly."

"But that means you can't restore your clan!!! Now you're truly the last of the Uchihas!!!" Naruto guffawed, unable to control his laughter.

"Naruto!!! Shut up and leave Sasuke alone!!!!" Sakura exclaimed, coming over and pounding him on the head. "You're just pissing him off, and I'm pretty pissed myself, so leave him alone!!!! You're so annoying, Naruto!!!"

Naruto looked up at her, several bumps popping up from his head. But he ignored them. "You just called Sasuke 'him.' It's 'her' now, remember?"

Sakura's expression softened as her mistake hit home. Quickly, before either of her comrades could see her face, she turned around and returned to where she had been standing. Silent tears rolled down her face, something she still didn't want Sasuke to see even if she was female now. She wouldn't understand. After all, it was _her_ who was making Sakura miserable, she who had out of nowhere become a girl.

"Uh…Sakura…are you all right?" Naruto inquired, looking with concern at her, although she had obscured her face from his view.

Daring not to speak because she feared her voice would shake, Sakura only gave a tiny nod. Naruto didn't buy it, but did not want to anger Sakura. He knew what a hard time she must be going through, since her biggest crush had changed sexes on her. The poor girl must be heartbroken.

He turned back to Sasuke, who was glancing past him at the back of Sakura's head. A tiny bit of remorse glittered in those cold onyx eyes of hers as she looked at the pink-haired kunoichi. But Sasuke hadn't cared enough to think about the impact the sex change might have on the people he knew, did he? Why should he feel sorry now, when the damage had been done? That remorse sparked rage inside Naruto, one that he couldn't stop from showing.

"See?!!! Look what you've done to Sakura!!!" Naruto shouted, pointing at Sasuke angrily. "You knew damn well that she had a crush on you!!! Hell, half the teens in Japan have a crush on you!!! And what did you do?!!! You had a procedure done to make you female!!! You knew damn well what damage you would cause to your friends and comrades, and still you went through with the damned procedure!!! How can you do that to Sakura?!!! How can you do that to the rest of us?!!! Are you really that heartless, _Miss_ Sasuke Uchiha?!!! Now Sakura's heartbroken because of you, suffering not from her own choices, but from yours!!! I hate you, Sasuke!!! I HATE YOU!!!"

His anger had spiraled out of control. Naruto drew back his fist, and before he knew it, had struck Sasuke clear in the face. She was knocked backwards from the blow and fell on her backside. Sakura's tears had ceased to fall, and now she was gaping at the event.

Sasuke had blood trickling on of the corner of her mouth as she staggered to her feet. She gave Naruto a cold stare, eyes aflame with suppressed anger. But her face remained emotionless as he glanced from the furious Naruto to the shocked Sakura.

"…What I do is none of your business, Naruto. I had my reasons. And I did not do it to destroy Sakura's heart, I promise you." Sasuke managed to muster without too much anger, although it was on the edge of her voice. Her eyes lingered on Sakura for a moment. "I didn't mean for this to have such an affect on those close to me. I did know that there would be a…major reaction…from all the girls who expressed feelings towards me. The guys…well, they would just be shocked and…a bit confused. But I had not expected it to cause anyone to _suffer_ a lot, if at all. Hate me as you like, Naruto. But I am your comrade, and I am still Sasuke Uchiha. No procedure can change that. And I am truly sorry, Sakura. Hopefully, you can move on."

"Like that's even possible!!!" Naruto yelled, still bitter.

"Naruto…please…Just shut up…" Sakura grumbled softly, looking away from Sasuke. "If you really cared about me, you'd stop yelling at Sasuke right now."

Naruto looked taken aback. "But Sakura-!"

"Look…I appreciate what you're trying to do…But let's face it. You're just angry because of what you think is wrong with me. Yes, I am heartbroken…yes, I am suffering…but I do not need you sticking up for me. I can handle things myself, if I want to…So please, Naruto…Just stay out of this…" The pleading, desperate sound in her voice was unmistakable; it cut deep into Naruto's heart.

"All right, Sakura. I'll keep the peace." Naruto murmured.

"…I'll try…to move on, Sasuke…But Naruto might be right on that one…" Sakura whispered. "After all the years I've loved the male Sasuke…I don't know if my heart can accept another…but I'll try…"

Sasuke took in her words like they were carbon monoxide. The fact that Sakura had referred to her former crush as 'the male Sasuke' and not just 'you' was very painful. It was like she couldn't imagine saying that she loved her now. She knew the reason, but really didn't want to think about it. It also hurt to think that Sakura may never move on…and it was only because Sasuke was female. She couldn't help but feel guilty for this.

Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke, reading that perverted book of his. Without looking up from it, he waved at his squad.

"Sorry I'm late. I got lost on the path of life." he greeted. "Glad to have you back, Sasuke. It's been awhile since we last trained with you, and it's made me miss the competition you had against Naruto. So, like I said, glad to have you back."

"Glad to be back." Sasuke stated, cringing when she realized that Kakashi would immediately take notice of her higher-pitched voice. She hadn't wanted to have to explain this to her sensei just moments after his arrival. This would be embarrassing.

"…Did I detect a feminine-like voice coming from you, Sasuke? Are you going through reverse puberty or something? 'Cuz, if you were going through puberty, your voice would get lower, not higher." Kakashi remarked, still not glancing up from Icha Paradise. "Wait a minute. Now that I think about it, something's changed about you. I smell silicon on your person. And…what the hell?!! Is…is that make-up that I'm smelling?!!! It can't be…unless Sakura finally managed to kiss you somehow."

"Guess again, sensei. Sakura won't even go near Sasuke anymore, let alone kiss the Uchiha." Naruto declared, a tiny grin on his face as he neglected to say the words 'him' or 'her.' "Of course, it'd be easier to guess if you didn't have your nose stuck in that book. Look at Sasuke, will ya? Then you'll have your answers."

Reluctantly, Kakashi looked up from his book. His one visible eye widened when he saw Sasuke now.

"…Wh-what…What the hell did you do to yourself?!!!" Kakashi managed to say, although it came out at full volume.

Naruto, once again, guffawed and fell back, rolling on the ground with his laughter.

"It's called a gender change! You should try it sometime!" Naruto shouted when he finally stopped laughing. "Sasuke had the complete transformation! He's now totally a girl, like Sakura! Hahahahaha!" Well, he was back to laughing again.

"Why in the world would you want to be a girl?" Kakashi was still traumatized and bewildered. "With your skills…Why did you do it?"

And so Sasuke had to tell him what she had told Iruka, Sakura, and Naruto the night before. Kakashi obviously still didn't fully understand, but he just let it slide, not wanting to hear anymore about the subject.

"All right. Let's begin training." Kakashi announced. "Sasuke, since you were gone for quite some time, due partially to…personal reasons…one of your comrades will catch you up on what you missed. How 'bout it, Sakura?"

Sakura glanced at her sensei with wide eyes for a moment before returning to looking at the ground. "If I have to…"

_**CHA!!! OF COURSE I DON'T!!! SASUKE'S NOT THE SAME ANYMORE!!! GET NARUTO TO DO IT!!! AT LEAST THEN THERE WILL BE A BOY AND GIRL TRAINING TOGETHER!!! I DON'T WANT TO HELP SASUKE!!!**_ Inner Sakura screamed, wanting to pound Kakashi's head in for suggesting that she help Sasuke catch up on the training.

"Good. After normal training, you two will review what Sasuke has missed. Eventually, he…uh…I mean…_she_…will be caught up with the rest of us." Kakashi put his book away. "For now, let's work on today's training."

* * *

_Is Sasuke-kun ever gonna come back? It seems like he's been gone forever. Sakura must have scared him off. I wouldn't put it past her, with that wide forehead of hers. One close look at that and most men would be sent running in the opposite direction,_ Ino thought as she walked home from training with Shikamaru and Choji. She missed Sasuke just as much as Sakura had. Of course, she would argue that _she_ missed Sasuke more than Sakura had. But we all know the truth.

"Ino, do you want to know something?" Shikamaru asked, hands behind his head as he looked up towards the sky. Choji was behind him, eating another bag of chips.

"…Not unless it has to do with Sasuke." Ino answered, giving Shikamaru a look.

"It does." Shikamaru stated.

"WHAT?!" Ino exclaimed, halting and standing in front of Shikamaru, causing him to stop and Choji to run into him. "Tell me, Shikamaru! Tell me about Sasuke!"

"All right, all right! Get out of my face and I'll tell you." Shikamaru said. Ino pulled back. "Well, rumor has it that he returned to the village yesterday. His mission was a success, and he received no injury. He's perfectly fine, even though there's no explanation as to why it took him so long to come back. There are rumors about what might have happened to him while he was gone, but rumors and reality don't mix."

"Sasuke's back and you didn't tell me?!" Ino boomed, a nerve throbbing in her forehead. But she calmed down at the thought of seeing Sasuke again. "Well, we'll just have to see whether or not this rumor is true. Come on, Shika and Choji. Let's go to Squad 7's training grounds. If he's not there, we'll check the Uchiha mansion."

"Uh…who said that we're going?" Shikamaru inquired, looking at Ino with a raised eyebrow.

"I did." Ino replied, crossing her arms. "Besides, do you have anything better to do that doesn't involve clouds, chess, and, in Choji's case, food?"

"Good point." Shikamaru muttered. "But why should we follow your orders? I am the Chuunin of our group, and I should not have to take orders from a Genin. Besides, Sasuke is so boring and such a drag. I don't want to be near that kid. He's too troublesome for me."

"Everything's too troublesome for you." Ino groaned. "If you don't come with me, I'll make your life a living hell."

_Doesn't she do that already? _Shikamaru thought with a roll of his eyes.

"And," Ino continued, probably knowing what he was thinking, "I know many ways in which to cause boys great pain. That includes castration using several different methods. Of course, I also know all sorts of torture methods that are very effective on men, so let that be the end of it. Choose wisely, Shika and Choji."

Shikamaru and Choji, who was listening while eating, winced when she mentioned castrating. They immediately decided to follow her, giving her what she wanted.

_Yeah! I win, _Ino thought as her squad headed for Squad 7's training grounds. _I just hope Sakura and Naruto aren't there. They always get in the way. Naruto's really annoying, and Sakura will just scare him off with that wide forehead of hers. Hopefully, Sasuke is alone. Then I can ditch these losers and get up close and personal with Sasuke-kun. _(Perverted Ino; I shudder at her thoughts.) An excited grin spread over her face at that, and she sped up slightly in her rush to see Sasuke again.

It took almost no time to reach the training grounds. Two figures had appeared in the distance, proving that Sasuke, if he was one of the people there, wasn't alone. Ino's heart sank when she saw that, but at least she would be able to see him after over two months of his absence. So seeing him with another didn't discourage her too much.

As Squad 10 got closer, the figures became more distinct. Ino grew bitter when she took note of the pink-haired kunoichi, not liking that she was there. Her heart was set aflame when she saw the back of Sasuke's shirt, and the rest of him with it (she only could see his backside). So what if Sakura was there. She didn't stand a chance against Ino's beauty. (*cough* *cough* {What beauty?} *cough* *cough*)

"Sasuke-kun!!! You're back!!!" Ino shouted, unable to contain her excitement any longer as she pounced on his back like she used to. "I've missed you so much!!! It's been a lonely two months without you! We have a lot of catching up to do!" She glared at Sakura, who had stopped moving when Ino and her squad had shown up. "I hope Billboard Brow over there wasn't giving you too much of a hassle. She has a habit of doing that. She also often scares men off with that ridiculously wide forehead of hers. I'm sure you were trying to get away, but she wasn't letting you. So how was your mission? When did you get back? Like I said, we have a lot of catching up to do, so why don't we just abandon these idiots and go somewhere else like a restaurant or your mansion? How does that sound?"

Sasuke remained silent. Ino raised an eyebrow at this. He wasn't even trying to get away from her, like he used to. He didn't even try to shrug her off. What was wrong with him?

"He's not going to answer you right now, Ino-pig!" Sakura shouted, glaring daggers at her when she caught her gaze. "And there's a reason, too!"

"Reason? What reason dose he have for not responding?" Ino wanted to know, too concerned about Sasuke to get angry at Sakura.

"Look down, and you'll get your answer!" Sakura stated. "Not down that way, you idiot! I mean, down at his chest!"

Ino did as Sakura instructed. Her blue eyes widened immediately, and she instantly let go of Sasuke neck. She scurried away from her crush as fast as she could until she nearly collided with her comrades.

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave? We just got here." Choji remarked, not snacking at the moment.

"SASUKE'S A GIRL!!!! HE HAS BREASTS!!!!" Ino screamed, traumatized. "GET ME AWAY FROM HIM!!!! I THINK I'M GOING TO THROW UP!!!!"

"Whoa! Did you just say…what I think you just said?" Shikamaru's eyes were just as wide as Ino's.

"Nope! She said that Sasuke is a girl and has breasts." Choji told him.

"That's what I thought she said." Shikamaru muttered, sweat dropping.

"It's true, you know." Sakura grumbled. "But I don't any of you to go spreading this around Konoha. It's strictly a private matter. The truth will come out eventually, but not from you three. If I do hear about this matter from other people…" Sakura cracked her knuckles at this. "…Expect extreme pain to be coming your ways. That includes-"

"Let me guess. It includes castration." Shikamaru concluded, grimacing at that.

Sakura nodded. "That right. And Ino-pig…STOP SCREAMING ABOUT SASUKE ALREADY!!!! IT'S ANNOYING!!!!" Ino was still running around, screaming about how Sasuke was now a girl. "WE DON'T WANT THE REST OF KONOHA TO KNOW, SO SHUT THAT RIDICULOUSLY LARGE MOUTH OF YOURS BEFORE SOMEONE OVERHEARS WHAT YOU'RE YELLING!!!!"

Ino didn't hear her, although Sakura had caused the others to have to cover their ears. With a loud groan, Sakura walked over to her and hit her on the back of the head. Ino fell to the ground like a heavy box of rocks.

"When she wakes up, tell her that she has to keep quiet about Sasuke." Sakura ordered, looking at Shikamaru and Choji. "You guys can leave any time now. Ino can't boss you around when she's unconscious. Besides, I need to catch Sasuke up on our training, and I can't do that with an audience."

Choji, curious as to if Ino and Sakura were telling the truth, got in front of Sasuke. His eyes enlarged when he saw what had caused Ino to go insane. Sasuke rolled her eyes and looked away from the fat Genin.

"Whoa! He's got bigger boobs than most girls our age!" Choji exclaimed, amazed. "They're huge! The only girl around our age who might have bigger is Temari!"

Sakura, Sasuke, and Shikamaru sweat dropped.

"…You do realize that she was a he only months ago, right?" Shikamaru asked, wondering if his friend was gay because of how he was studying Sasuke's chest.

"What? Oh, yeah. I know that." Choji replied, looking away. "But those seem so real! It's hard to believe that those are made from silicon implants! I don't know how doctors do it! It's amazing!" When he saw the looks on the others' faces, he stopped. "All right, I'll stop talking about Sasuke's humongous boobs. And I'm not gay, if that's what you're thinking."

"…Uh…Come on, Choji. We have somewhere else to be, and these two have to train." Shikamaru wanted to get Choji as far away from Sasuke as physically possible, and take Ino along for the journey. One had gone completely insane over seeing Sasuke feminized while the other had acted sort of strange. They didn't need to be around Sasuke anymore.

"All right." Choji muttered. "Let's go."

Shikamaru picked up the unconscious body of Ino and threw it over his shoulder. Then he and Choji left, leaving Sakura and Sasuke alone, as they had been before Squad 10 had shown up. Sakura remained standing in front of where she had knocked out Ino, her back to Sasuke's back. She didn't feel like moving ever again.

"Sakura? Are you all right?" Sasuke inquired, looking over her shoulder at the pink-haired kunoichi.

"…Maybe I am…Maybe I am not…" Sakura grumbled softly, not looking at Sasuke at all in any way.

"…Thank you…for explaining things to them. It wasn't the most subtle way to do it, but it worked nonetheless. That's one less squad I have to clarify this for." Sasuke said, gesturing at herself. "And like I told you earlier, Ino is suffering more than you are. That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"…No…It is not a good thing. Not even for me." Sakura stated. "No one should have to suffer from your decisions, Sasuke. Do you know what you're doing to me, Sasuke? Do you?! I'm being torn in two! One half of me still loves you, but the other half is disgusted and hurt and confused and so many other things by what you've done! I only told them to keep quiet because…I didn't want _you_ to suffer. I understand that it's hard enough dealing with the changes that you've caused upon yourself without people making comments about it or spreading word of it around the village. See? Unlike some people, I care what people say about my comrades, and how my comrades feel."

A few moments of silence passed as Sasuke stared at the back of Sakura's head. She hadn't realized that Sakura would still have feelings for her. That was strange, but she didn't want that to happen. People would draw conclusions and spread rumors about Sakura's attraction, and call her lesbian. And that was both false and rude.

"…Do you want to continue training, or are we done for the day?" Sakura wanted to know.

"…Your choice." Sasuke muttered.

"…Good day, Sasuke Uchiha." Sakura said, departing immediately.

* * *

_Sasuke glanced down at Shibiki, who was pleading for a quick death. Even for someone who was years older than him, she seemed like a young child. A frightened young child who wanted a quick punishment. He couldn't help but feel a little bit of hesitation and remorse for what he must do. He held his kunai knife in a slightly shaky hand._

"_...Well, what are you waiting for?! Kill me already!" Shibiki hissed, looking up at him when the fatal blow wasn't given. "I wouldn't hesitate to kill you! Why do you hesitate to perform a task that is instinctive for a ninja to do?! Hurry up and do it!"_

_Still, Sasuke did not move._

"_Are you taunting me?! Is this some sort of joke?! No one's laughing, especially not me!" Shibiki growled, baring her teeth. "Why do you pause?! I could escape at any given moment because of your foolishness, little boy! Just hurry up and kill me! Stop playing around and treat me like a real enemy, will ya?!"_

_No movement._

"_Are you just standing there and not hurting me because I'm a girl?! If I were a boy, would you have already killed me?!" Shibiki demanded. "This is always the case with kunoichi! They're taken easy, like they're the weakest ninja to ever fight on this planet! Some shinobi aren't that strong, either! Take Namu for example! He's 25, and still a Genin! That's ridiculous! And yet people still consider him to be stronger than I am! Why do enemy ninja always go easy on the kunoichi?! It's not fair!"_

"_...I'm not taking it easy on you just because you are a kunoichi, Shibiki." Sasuke remarked. "Right now, you look like a child in my eyes. Would you kill a child?"_

_Shibiki looked shocked at that comment. "...Of course not. Wh-who in their right mind would kill a child? But I'm not a child, even if you se me that way because of my fear. I am Shibiki, of the Village Hidden in the Stones, a kunoichi of Genin rank. Treat me as an enemy ninja, and strike me down."_

_She had masked her fear, making her seem her age in Sasuke's eyes now. But he still could not bring himself to kill her._

"_Teh. Are you afraid of killing a girl?" Shibiki taunted. "Ninja are trained to kill __**all**__ enemies, regardless of their gender." She shook her head. "But some males don't really follow that. If you could spend a year in the shoes of a kunoichi, then you'd see what I mean. Women are treated differently than men. There's no way you can argue against that which is obviously true."_

"_...If I became a kunoichi, many people in my village would be shocked and traumatized." Sasuke told her._

_Shibiki laughed. "Girls go for you, eh? How about this? You 'turn into a girl' for three months using genjutsu, see the reactions of all your comrades and enemies, and then we'll call this even. You kill me, and I'll be laughing at you and your girly look from heaven. Fair enough?"_

"_...Whatever."_

This memory was in Sasuke's dreams, for some reason. Otherwise, why would anyone put it here?

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Two full weeks went by before many people realized it. More people had found out about Sasuke's new look. Squad 10 had kept their word, so Ino didn't tell anyone, if that's what anyone's thinking. No. Squad 8 had bumped into Sasuke one day, receiving the shock. Shino had remained silent about it, Kiba had openly stared like Choji, and Hinata blushed up a storm. Team Gai had also run into her, for all her luck. Neji gave her an odd look, Tenten screamed bloody murder, and Rock Lee was just freaked out (huh; the freak was freaked out; that's a switch;). All of the main squads now knew about Sasuke, and she wasn't too happy about it.

Sasuke had been caught up on her training despite this and the cool attitude she received from Sakura. The cool attitude often led to short training sessions, but Sasuke had managed to learn quickly because she was a natural-born genius. Kakashi was slightly impressed, but this led to more intense training for the whole squad. Naruto complained a little about it, but he was glad to have his competition back, obviously. He pushed himself harder than before, still hoping that he may be able to beat Sasuke. Of course, Sasuke accepted the challenge and pushed herself to her limits to beat him, just like old times.

"All right! That's enough training for today." Kakashi announced when all of his students had completed his lesson and were out of breath. "Now let's discuss tomorrow's mission."

"Mission? Awesome!" Naruto exclaimed, jumping to his feet despite his fatigue and breathlessness. "What rank is it? Where will we be going? Will it be dangerous? Come one, come on! Give us the details!"

"Calm down, Naruto!" Kakashi smiled in spite of himself. Naruto's curiosity got to him somehow. "This is a B-ranked mission, in the Village Hidden in the Stones. And yes, it will be dangerous. Deathly, to be exact."

"…D-Deathly?" Sakura stammered. "…Th-then why isn't it A-ranked instead of B?"

"It didn't completely fit the qualifications of an A-ranked mission." Kakashi replied. "Our mission lies in enemy territory, for the Land of Earth is no ally of ours. Never has been, and probably never will be. There is a powerful businessman dwelling there who kidnaps people and blackmails others into paying him large sums of money to get those kidnapped back. His name is Kenji Nakata. Don't expect to know the name. He is only known mostly in his own village. But now he is striking other villages, including our own, in hopes of bringing in more money. We must take down this man and end his days of blackmail. I'm sure the Stone village will be…somewhat glad to be rid of his existence."

_Kenji Nakata?! No way...,_ Sasuke thought, remembering the name of the man that had hired Shibiki and her squad to capture Yukie. _So he's causing havoc in more lands than his own, huh? That would explain why he had a sudden interest in capturing Yukie. His money flow must be getting strained. So he's targeting other lands to change that. Stupid little businessmen...When will they learn? First Gato, and now this Kenji character...Pitiful._

"We'll be going in alone, just the four of us, with no backup planned. We'll have to keep a low profile when we're in the Stone village." Kakashi looked directly at Naruto. "That means you can't be obnoxious, Naruto. You have to keep quiet."

"Aww…But that's too difficult! How the hell am I supposed to do that?!" Naruto asked.

"…Just…act like your opposite. Do the opposite of what you usually do." Kakashi told him. "Then perhaps you'll have a glimmer of hope to keep a low profile. I'm sure that Sakura and Sasuke will be able to stay under the radar. In fact, I have no doubt that Sasuke can stay hidden."

"Is that a crack at her new girly appearance?! Just because Sasuke decided to become a girl doesn't mean anything! Stop poking fun at her, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura yelled, glaring at Kakashi.

"Take it easy, Sakura! I was just playing around. I'm sorry that it offended you." Kakashi apologized. "Anyway, we'll be leaving tomorrow no later than 10:30 AM. Be ready by then, or _I_ will come after you and make you ready. Got it?"

"All right! A B-ranked mission! We're Genin, but we get a B-ranked mission!" Naruto shouted, jumping up and down in is excitement. "This is gonna be a piece of cake! Who cares if it's deathly dangerous! We're still gonna complete it with ease! Yeah! Believe it! We'll be ready for the next Chuunin exams! Oh, yeah! Believe it!"

"Naruto! Stop acting like such a jackass! You're too weak from the training. You'll wear your body out more if you keep jumping like that." Sakura muttered. _We're leaving at ten thirty? Normally, if we don't have training, I sleep until noon. This is going to be difficult just to get up and go. I just hope this mission isn't __**too**__ difficult,_ she thought.

_Well, at least I'll finally be able to meet the man who tried to have Yukie captured. Then I'll be able to give him my greetings for trying to jeopardize my last mission,_ Sasuke thought, cracking her knuckles with a smirk. _This will be fun._

"Go home and rest. Meet me at the gates tomorrow before 10:30. Dismissed." With that, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Well, see ya guys later!" Naruto yelled, taking off towards the village.

"N-Naruto! Where are you going?!" Sakura wanted to know.

"To meet Iruka-sensei at the Ichiraku Ramen Shop! I need to fill up to prepare for tomorrow, you know!" Naruto answered, still running.

"W-Wait for me!" Sakura ran after him. She glanced over her shoulder at Sasuke while doing so. "Do you want to come with us, Sasuke?!"

"…Sure…I guess." Sasuke grumbled, running after them with her inhuman speed. _If you can't beat 'em...Join them._Iruka smiled when Naruto and Sakura sat down beside him. He also smiled at Sasuke, but it was more awkward than cheerful. Naruto and Sakura gave their orders immediately while Sasuke didn't, for she wasn't too hungry at the moment. Iruka already had his ramen, so he was eating.

* * *

"So what's new with you three?" Iruka asked.

"We get to go on a B-ranked mission tomorrow!" Naruto announced, grinning from ear to ear. "It's in the Village Hidden in the Stones! We get to take down a blackmailing businessman named Kenji Nakata! It's deathly dangerous, too! Isn't that awesome?!"

"Naruto! How can you think that a deathly dangerous mission is awesome?! That's crazy talk!" Sakura exclaimed, glaring at him.

"Are you scared, Sakura-chan? Is that why you're so angry about it?" Naruto inquired.

"N-No! I'm not scared! Not one bit!" Sakura claimed, trying to look brave. _Actually, I'm completely frightened of this mission. But I'm not going to admit that. Nope. I'm not going to admit that I'm terrified to anyone, especially not you, Naruto!_

"Hehehe…You're lying, Sakura. You're afraid. I can see through your lies. You're not a very good liar." Naruto remarked with a smile. "But don't worry. I'm just…a little bit…anxious…about this mission. It'd be weird if I wasn't a little petrified by this possibly fatal mission."

"Whatever." Sakura grumbled, crossing her arms. "Believe what you will. It doesn't matter to me at all. This is just another mission and we will complete it successfully without any casualties whatsoever."

"Let's hope you're right, Sakura." Iruka said. "Genin don't usually get to go on B-ranked missions because they aren't experienced enough. But during these tough times and after what Orochimaru attempted to do to this village, we have no choice but to send our Genin off on missions they are not ready for. It's dangerous, but we cannot turn down any mission we are given. If we did, that would be admitting that we are weak. Our enemies would take advantage of that. So we have to keep accepting missions and making our Genin stronger through these high-ranked missions. I'm sure you three will grow from this mission. Who knows? Perhaps next time the Chuunin exams come about, you'll all become Chuunins."

"That's right, Iruka-sensei! We're that awesome! We'll be the strongest ninja this world's ever seen! We'll blaze past the Legendary Sannin!" Naruto exclaimed. "We'll be legends someday, you just watch! And I'm going to be Hokage! Believe it!"

Sakura glared at Naruto for making such a ruckus in public, but that glare softened. She couldn't help but smile at his positive-thinking. He rarely ever saw gloom anywhere. Even if he was obnoxious, he still made everyone happy and could make people smile. Or at least smirk.

Iruka chuckled. "You have some great expectations for you and your comrades, Naruto."

"You bet I do! That's 'cuz we're the best there is, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto claimed. "Even Sasuke is strong, despite the confusion she has about what gender she should be. She'll be able to do anything in the future, as long as she doesn't let Orochimaru influence her anymore. Sakura, despite being a little annoying and mean, is clever and inhumanly strong. She'll be even better than Granny Tsunade someday, as long as she doesn't let Sasuke mess with her head. And I might be obnoxious and annoying and the number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja, but I am strong and…Well, who needs another reason? I will become Hokage one day, as long as I don't get killed or let Ero-Sannin influence me too much or get nabbed by some of those guys who are after me. Believe it! We'll be the next three legendary Sannin with all the skills we possess!"

_Flattery isn't something you're good at, Naruto,_ Sasuke thought, rolling her eyes. _If we weren't in a place so public and populated, I'd knock the shit out of you right now. _

_So he thinks I'm a little annoying and mean, huh?_ Sakura thought with a frown. _He's the one who's annoying. Well, at least he noticed my good points. I am clever, and rather strong. Perhaps I will surpass Lady Tsunade someday...But Sasuke is not messing with my head! Not anymore, anyway. Now that he's a she, I can't think of him the way I used to. So, I'll be fine. No need to worry about that anymore._

Iruka laughed again. "Such positive-thinking…I hope you're right about that. After all, two of you were my best students in the Academy before graduating. Now to see a knucklehead like Naruto become a Sannin…_that_ would be something."

Naruto glared at Iruka. "What was that?! Are you saying that I can't become a high-ranking ninja just because I'm a knucklehead?! Ero-Sannin became one, and he's the biggest pervert to ever walk this Earth! And he isn't that bright, either!"

"Calm down, Naruto! That's not what I meant at all!" Iruka remarked. "I have complete faith in you. If you want to be Hokage, or even a Sannin, I'm sure you could do it."

"Good!" Naruto relaxed slightly. "If you'd meant that I would never be a strong ninja, I'd have to kick your ass. But…since you didn't mean that, I'll leave you alone. You'd better be glad I'm not fighting you. I'd win hands-down with all the skills I acquired over the months spent with Ero-Sannin and Kakashi-sensei."

"Don't push it, Naruto. Or I might just accept that offer to fight. Then we'd see how much you've really improved." Iruka warned.

Ayame gave Sakura and Naruto their orders, ending the conversation. Naruto dug into his ramen while Sakura ate it more slowly than he did. Sasuke remained silent, her eyes watching everything that was happening around them.

"So Sasuke, I hear that all the people who graduated with you now know what you did. How are you taking all this?" Iruka wanted to know, looking over at her. Concern was in his voice, but Sasuke knew he was still creeped out by the very idea himself.

"…" Sasuke chose not to answer Iruka and instead stared at an interesting speck of dust on the table (sarcasm, in case you're wondering; no speck of dust is interesting).

Sakura glanced at Sasuke out of the corner of her eye sympathetically. She knew the pain that Sasuke was enduring because she knew her better than most people. In fact, before all of these changes, she had loved Sasuke with all of her heart. Even now, her broken heart skipped a beat at the sight of the Uchiha. She just had to say something to answer Iruka's question before he bugged Sasuke again.

"…How do you think she's taking it? People are giving her odd looks everywhere she goes. Those who know her are, at least. Even Team Gai knows about her. Everyone's treating her differently, and she doesn't like that." Sakura stated. "She wants to be treated like the rest of us are treated, not like some weird creep but like a human being. The looks she is receiving, she does not deserve. The questions that people keep asking her, she doesn't want to hear. Not even your questions, Iruka. So leave her alone already. I'm tired of hearing this stuff, and I'm tired of coming up with explanations for Sasuke."

The pink-haired kunoichi stood up and paid for her unfinished ramen and Naruto's ramen. Then she walked out of the ramen shop. As soon as she was outside of it, she ran off, wanting to get away from her squad as quickly as possible. Only the sound of her retreating footsteps met the others' ears.

But she was pursued, nonetheless.

Not by all three of them.

Only one.

* * *

Sakura reached the training grounds in the nick of time. She wasn't used to running so fast, so she was rather out of breath. She fell to ground beside a tree, her back propped up against it as she came to the sitting position. Tears flowed from her eyes, falling like rain upon the ground.

_...Why? Why do I have to feel this way?_ Sakura wondered. _I can't love him...It's wrong, too wrong now. Why? Why can't this feeling just leave? Why do I always have to suffer...because of him? I just want to be alone...I want to be normal and...and I don't want to feel like this. Leave me alone, Sasuke. You're tormenting me, tearing me apart on the inside, and making me a wreck on the outside. Just...leave me alone._

There was movement in the surrounding forest from the direction in which she had come. It was getting kind of dark; the sun was already setting. She couldn't make out the figure coming towards her, but something in her heart thought it knew who was coming. It made the rest of her heart skip a beat, and it kept her frozen there to see if it was right. In her mind, she mentally swore, hating her heart for this torment. But then her attention went to who was coming.

It was…Sasuke Uchiha.

The pink-haired kunoichi's eyes widened, but she immediately looked down. Her heart was accelerating, pounding so loud that Sasuke could probably hear it. But she did not want her here. She wanted to be left alone so that she could think things through. Sasuke would make that impossible.

"…Go away…" Sakura grumbled, her voice enveloped in her sorrow. "…Leave me alone…Please…"

But she came closer, like she didn't care what Sakura wanted. That began to infuriate the pink-haired kunoichi. And yet her tears still flowed.

"…Sakura…Why did you run? And why do you keep defending me?" Sasuke asked, now standing right in front of Sakura. "Why are you doing all of this for me?"

"I said go away!" Sakura shouted, getting to her feet and pushing Sasuke away. "I don't need you to be here, pounding me with your questions! I want to be alone! You're killing me, Sasuke! I'm dying on the inside because of you! So leave me alone already!"

Sasuke staggered backwards slightly. But she regained balance quickly, and faced Sakura again. She saw Sakura's tears, and the mixture of anger and sorrow in those emerald eyes of hers. It cut deep to see her this way.

"…Sakura…If you answer me, I'll leave you alone. In fact, I'll never bother you again." Sasuke stated. "Just tell me why you keep protecting me from the others and their questions."

Sakura glanced at the ground, her anger forgotten for the moment. Her face felt very warm, like all the heat in her body was there. Embarrassment seems to do that to people. She didn't want to tell Sasuke the reason why she kept protecting her. She didn't want to admit anything to her. But the chance to get Sasuke to leave her alone was too much to pass up.

"…Sasuke…The reason that I keep defending you…is because I…I still…love you…" Sakura managed to say, not looking up at Sasuke. "…Even though you've changed…so much in these past months…even though you are now feminine…I still love you. This is very hard for me to admit…because I am admitting that I am gay…But I only love you, Sasuke. There's no one else in this world for me…but you. I can't stand to see you suffering because everyone keeps pestering you about your changes, and I despise those who run around and scream just because you've changed and they used to like you. I love you, Sasuke, no matter what gender you are. That is why I keep protecting you, and will continue to do so."

Shock was all that appeared on Sasuke's face. She couldn't believe that Sakura would still feel that way about her. Even as a girl, that pink haired-kunoichi still loved her. And if anyone found out, she would be taunted for the rest of her life.

_I can't believe she still loves me. Even through all this changes, she still feels the same way. How can she? This wasn't supposed to happen. Shibiki didn't say anything about fan girls turning gay because of what I've done,_ Sasuke thought. _How can I do this to Sakura? I can't let her think that she truly is...gay. Should I tell her that this is all an illusion, a genjutsu that some girl told me to do? Should I tell her that I'm still me, Sasuke Uchiha, the last __**son**__ of the Uchiha clan? The three months are far from over, but I...I can't do this to Sakura anymore!_

Strange, huh? Looks like Sasuke loves Sakura.

And someone's not the girl he claimed to be.

"…You promised that if I answered you that you'd leave me alone and never bother me again." Sakura reminded him. "…It seems that our business is done, and you have no other reason to still be here. Leave at once. Leave me to cry away my pain so that I can be ready for tomorrow."

But Sasuke could not find it in his heart to grant her that.

"Sakura, there's something I need to tell you…"

That's when her anger arose again.

"If you don't leave now, you're breaking your promise! And then I'll have to kick your ass because I'm so pissed at you right now it's not even funny!" Sakura exclaimed, glaring at Sasuke. "Get away from me now! I don't want you to be here! Leave me alone already!"

But Sasuke did not leave. Instead, he undid the genjutsu that had given him the appearance of a girl. Sakura gaped at him as his face returned to normal and his chest became flat again. Her anger faded away instantly, replaced with joy that Sasuke was not a girl like he had said. He was himself, and had always been that way.

"Sakura, I was never really female. It was a genjutsu that a girl named Shibiki told me to do. It wasn't supposed to make anyone suffer." Sasuke explained once the genjutsu had been completely undone. "I'm sorry. The genjutsu was supposed to last for three months, but I couldn't hurt you any longer. Will you forgive me?"

Sakura was about to answer, but something caused her to hesitate. He'd caused her to think she was gay, and made her suffer needlessly during his false changes. How could she forgive him immediately after all that he had done to her? How could he expect that of her just because he'd changed back? Her heart began racing as she considered her response.

"…In time, I will find it within me to forgive you, Sasuke-kun." Sakura said at last. "But don't anticipate immediate results. After the hell you've put me through for over two weeks, there's no way I could forgive you now. So you're just gonna have to deal with the time that I'll be pissed at you."

"Time's good. Time's infinite. But I can deal with that." Sasuke stated casually. "But you can't tell anyone about this. I made a promise to Shibiki, so I must continue that genjutsu for a little over two months. No one else must find out that this is just a genjutsu, okay?"

"Got it!" Sakura remarked, smiling. "Thank you for caring about me, Sasuke!"

She jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Normally, he would have pushed her off, but not today. He'd hurt her too much. The least he could do was let her hug him.

"You're the best, Sasuke." Sakura whispered in his ear. "And I wasn't lying when I said that I love you. I hope you know that. And I hope that someday you can love me, too."

His heart skipped a beat when she said those words. A strange feeling began to rise in him, but he forced it away. He didn't want to face the reality of his heart. He just wanted to get stronger so he could avenge his clan. There was no need for useless emotions. They only slowed a ninja down.

Right then, Sakura did something unexpected. Usually, she was too shy to do anything other than flirt or hug Sasuke. But now, she'd managed to gather enough courage to do something else. Her lips landed on his, and she kissed him, something no one had ever done except Naruto by accident. Sasuke's eyes widened, but he did not pull back. Something within him thought that this seemed right, that she should be with him. That part of him made him kiss her, and that just made the kiss more passionate.

(Before any of you even think that this part of the story is going somewhere, forget about it. Naruto is a nearly kid-friendly show, and Sasuke and Sakura are only twelve. That's too young for that kind of disgusting activity. So keep your heads out of the gutters. Thank you.)

A few long seconds later, they broke apart. Sakura wasn't exactly sure what happened, but she was positive that Sasuke had kissed back, and that he had feelings for her. That was very reassuring to her hopes and dreams for the future.

"Well, I'd better get going. Knowing my mother, she'll be worried about me if I'm out too long." Sakura remarked, letting go of Sasuke. "Good night, Sasuke."

"…Good night, Sakura."

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

At 10:30 AM the next morning, all of the members of Squad 7 assembled for their mission. Even Kakashi was there, not one single minute behind schedule. That was a surprise, but then again this was a serious mission. The squad set off for the Stone village moments later.

Sasuke had once again taken the appearance of a girl. Sakura no longer minded too much, now that she knew it was only genjutsu. She just had to keep Naruto and Kakashi in the dark for a little over two months and then she'd be able to let them in on the secret. It would be hard to do, but she was willing to do anything for Sasuke. Naruto would just have to deal with it.

"So, how long until we reach the Stone village?" Naruto asked, already bored.

"It'll take us a couple of days to reach it." Kakashi replied. "That's not too long compared to other villages we'd have to travel to, so this mission may not take us as long. You can be patient until we get there, right?"

"No! I want to get there as soon as possible! Traveling can be so boring sometimes, you know! The mission is the real excitement!" Naruto exclaimed. "Besides, the longer I'm around Sasuke, the crazier I become! I can't even look at her anymore because of those artificial things on her chest! Sasuke's driving me mad!"

Kakashi chuckled. "Are you sure you don't have a crush on her and that's why you're going crazy?"

"WHAT?!!! ARE YOU INSANE?!!! I COULD NEVER LIKE SASUKE, NO MATTER WHAT GENDER HE IS!!!!" Naruto boomed, completely angry that Kakashi would even suggest something like that.

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched in disgust at Kakashi's comment. Of course Naruto didn't like him. And the Uchiha wouldn't have it any other way. Now, if only he could get some of the other rookies not to like him… (*cough* *cough* Choji and Kiba *cough* *cough*).

"Take it easy, Naruto! I was only kidding!" Kakashi stated, slightly intimidated by Naruto's fury. "Calm down. I know you don't like Sasuke. You two are archrivals for all eternity. I get that. I was only joking."

"You better have been joking." Naruto muttered, pulling back.

_You wouldn't have been able to do anything even if I hadn't been joking, _Kakashi thought. _You better not go making threats against someone a lot stronger than you, Naruto. You'll get yourself killed that way._

"…How will we really fit in with the Stone people when we get there?" Sakura inquired. "I mean, we don't exactly look like Stone ninja. We look like Leaf ninja. We'll need disguises or something like that."

"We'll worry about that when the time comes." Kakashi said. "Don't worry. I have every aspect of this mission covered. If I didn't, then I wouldn't be a very good sensei, now would I?"

_You aren't that good of a sensei as it is,_ Naruto thought.

_Would that really change anything about you? You're already a lousy sensei,_ Sakura thought.

"Hey! Did you just doubt my teaching?" Kakashi demanded.

Sakura and Naruto sweat dropped, and quickly shook their heads.

"You better not have. Unlike Naruto, I know millions of ways to hurt people, and I could use them on you." Kakashi stated. "Also unlike Naruto, I know how to stick to a threat. He just makes them without thinking, and that will get him in trouble one of these days."

"Hey! Don't insult me just because I'm obnoxious!" Naruto exclaimed, glaring at Kakashi. "I can't help it! That's just who I am!"

"…Come on. If we keep talking like this, we'll never reach the Stone village." Kakashi grumbled, trying to shut Naruto up.

"Fine." Naruto muttered, crossing his arms as they continued on their way. "…Why is the village the _Stone_ village, anyway? Are all the people the people there stoned or something? What kind of name is Stone for a hidden village? The person who named it must have been stoned or something."

"The people in the Village Hidden in the Stones aren't stoned, Naruto." Kakashi remarked, glaring menacingly at Naruto with his visible eye. "Well, not all of them, anyway. And I doubt the founder of their village was stoned when he named it, either."

"Well, then was that guy obsessed with rocks or something?! I mean, I know it's in the Land of Earth, but come on! Who in their right mind would name a village the Village Hidden in the Stones?! That's just crazy!" Naruto claimed.

"Naruto…" Sakura murmured with a small grin. "You really don't have much room to talk about being crazy. You are, after all, one of the craziest people I know."

"And you're one of the strangest people I know." Naruto countered, returning her grin.

A nerve throbbed in Sakura's forehead. "How am I strange?!"

"First reason. Two words. Wide forehead. Second reason. Four words. Former crush on Sasuke. Third reason. Two words. Anger issues." Naruto answered. "Need I say more?"

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted before punching him in the face and making him fall. "Don't bring my forehead into this! And don't make fun of my issues!"

Kakashi sighed. _This is going to be a long mission. How will I ever get through this completely sane? Simple. I won't._

* * *

Later that day, when they were closer to the Stone village and the sun had set, Squad 7 stopped for the night. Kakashi left the Genins alone to "patrol the area for enemy ninja," but knowing him he was probably reading Icha Paradise. Naruto was already snoring before night had completely set in.

But neither Sasuke nor Sakura went straight to sleep.

Sakura was too busy worrying about this mission for sleep to even be possible for her. And also, she was thinking of Sasuke…a lot. How she longed to feel his lips on hers again! That wasn't possible if Naruto was nearby, even if he was asleep. Besides, Sasuke might not actually feel that way. He might have just been forced to kiss back. Or, at least, that's what she kept telling herself. She was too embarrassed and shy to ask.

Sasuke was thinking about a lot of things. The mission, his stupid genjutsu that he really didn't have to do, Sakura, Naruto's annoying questions, Kakashi's teasing, Sakura, how he was going to kill Kenji Nakata, Sakura…His mind was pretty preoccupied. He wanted to stop thinking about her, but she refused to leave his mind. That pink-haired kunoichi, who was only a few feet from him, wouldn't leave him alone. Ever since yesterday, when she'd gathered up enough courage to kiss him, Sasuke hadn't been able to stop thinking about her. He didn't know exactly why (he's just that ignorant and can't see what his heart's telling him), but he had a good idea. That part of his heart that thought it seemed right for Sakura and Sasuke to be together was taking over, spreading like a disease. Only this kind of disease has no cure; he'd have to live with it for the rest of his life. But ignoring it would prove to be extremely difficult, for this disease would get stronger and stronger over time.

The name of this disease was love.

The Uchiha cringed when he thought of what could be happening to him. He did not want to fall in love. No. That was not an option. Not until he killed Itachi Uchiha, the man who had massacred the entire Uchiha clan. Until that man was dead, falling in love was impossible. Or so he wished. It seemed that his heart already had a claim. He would just have to keep a good hold of it…and make sure Sakura couldn't take it until his brother was dead. Then she could claim it.

"…Sasuke? Are you…still awake?" Sakura whispered, glancing over at him.

He didn't reply. _Act like you're asleep. She'll leave you alone. Act like you're asleep. Then she won't bug you. That's what you want,_ he thought. _Don't respond. Don't give any sign that you're awake. Then she'll leave you alone, and hopefully go to sleep herself. She's starting to lean over to look at your face! Close your eyes so she'll think you are asleep. Do it now! Damn it! She saw your eyes are open! You idiot! You are such a bacayaru! Now she won't sleep, and will bug the hell out of you! Nice going, Sasuke!_

For sure, Sakura was leaning over Sasuke's face to see if he was awake. His onyx eyes were wide open, staring back at her emerald gaze. The moonlight seemed to make sakura glow like an angel in the night (eww…I can't believe I typed that). She smiled down at him.

"Can't sleep either?" she asked in a soft voice.

"…Unfortunately." Sasuke grumbled, pushing himself into the sitting position so he wouldn't be staring at Sakura's face anymore.

"What's stopping you?" Sakura inquired, sitting beside him. "Are you…worried about this mission…or something?"

"…Depends on who's asking." Sasuke answered, smirking. "What's keeping you up?"

"…Well, I'm…worried…about this mission." Sakura admitted, blushing. "It's B-ranked, and…well, I don't know if I can accomplish it. I don't know if I have the strength or smarts to get through this alive. But…it's normal for me to doubt myself before a huge mission. I'm probably just overreacting."

"…I'm kind of vexed about this mission, too, but not for the same reasons." Sasuke told her. "And, before you ask, I'm not telling you what those reasons are. Of course, I'm also bothered by other minor issues like Naruto and Kakashi's mockery, but these things don't bug me too much."

"…If the mission and those other things aren't bothering you too much, then why are you still awake?" Sakura wanted to know.

"…" Sasuke did not reply, afraid of confessing his emotions to Sakura. Besides, he couldn't tell her that he was thinking about her all the time. That would just seem weird. Of course, Sakura might be happy about that…But Naruto might be faking that he's asleep and would make fun of him for that. There was no way he would tell Sakura that he loved her.

"Sasuke? Is something wrong?" Sakura sounded very concerned when he didn't respond to her question.

Sasuke was slightly grateful that his back was to Sakura, for he was sure there were many emotions playing around on his feminine face before that moment. His emotionless mask took over.

"…Go to sleep, Sakura. And don't worry. We'll all survive this mission." Sasuke remarked, glancing over his shoulder at her. "Trust me. I won't let anything happen to you."

Sakura turned a darker shade of crimson when he said that. She was so touched that she couldn't even utter the words that wanted to pass through her lips. Quickly, she turned away from the girly Sasuke so he wouldn't observe her flushed face any longer.

"Hey…Sakura." Sasuke whispered suddenly.

She turned back around and gasped. Sasuke had once again undone the genjutsu, making himself appear like the boy she had fallen for. She could hardly contain her excitement of seeing him that way for the second time in two days. He was so kind to her recently, and though she did not understand why, she hoped that he would never change from this person he had become. She had loved him before this, but the attitude adjustment had helped increase her feelings towards him. Good looks and a nice personality…what a classical combo.

"I'll only undo the jutsu at night when the others are asleep, and if you fall asleep fast. Those are the conditions that I place before you. So, if you don't fall asleep soon, I will redo it, only make it slightly worse." Sasuke threatened, though a huge smirk was on his face because to him this was all a big joke.

Sakura laughed lightly. "Fine. I'll go to sleep. Good night, Sasuke-kun."

"Good night, Sakura."

* * *

"Come on! Rise and shine! We're burning daylight here!" Naruto shouted the next morning. "We've got a dangerous mission to complete! Wake up!"

Sasuke groaned and tossed the blanket over his head. He hadn't slept well that night. Now Naruto was waking everyone up, and the sun hadn't risen yet. How much trouble would it have been to wait a little longer before waking everyone up? He was exhausted, and ninja don't perform well when fatigued.

"Okay, Sasuke! Get your ass up now! We don't have time to mess around! Get up!" Naruto exclaimed right in his ear. "We've gotta get moving! Kakashi-sensei said so! Get moving already! I know you're awake a lot earlier than this, so come on!"

"Would you shut up already?! I'm going!" Sasuke hissed, punching Naruto in the face and causing the blonde to fall backwards. Then he got up (he'd redone the genjutsu before he'd fallen asleep) and prepared to set off.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Naruto demanded, glaring at Sasuke with huge white eyes.

"You yelled right in my ear, loser. I was only giving you what you deserved." Sasuke muttered, slinging his backpack onto his shoulders. "Of course, you deserved worse than that, but I'm not allowed to hurt you anymore. You should be glad I can't fight you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to walk by now."

Naruto growled. "Sasuke!"

"Hey! That's enough!" Kakashi was in between them now. "We're a team! You two have got to stop this childish bickering and start working together as one. And Sasuke, stop threatening Naruto! You know that he's about as strong as you are. Threats never get you anywhere. You shouldn't threaten your comrades, either. They're your allies. It's the enemies you have to worry about. Now, am I going to have to baby-sit you throughout this entire mission, or will you be able to behave?"

"…I'll behave." Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms.

"…Same here." Sasuke murmured, looking away.

"Good. Then let's head off."

* * *

Later that day, Squad 7 came within close proximity of dangerous territory. They stood right outside the Land of Earth, and close to the Village Hidden in the Stones. Kakashi had halted their progression in order to give them their disguises (no jutsu, okay; I didn't want them to use jutsu to fit in because I didn't want them to; deal with it).

Sakura was given her disguise first. It consisted of a black shirt with spidery sleeves, a black miniskirt, mesh leggings, black fingerless gloves, a black Stone forehead protector, and black high-heeled boots (I don't care if they usually don't wear those; she is; deal with it). She cringed in disgust at the outfit, for she wasn't for the Goth look. But Kakashi did say she had to be her opposite, so she would just have to deal with it. She went to go change and apply the dark makeup that Kakashi had also given her.

Naruto received his disguise next. It consisted of a white T-shirt, a leather jacket, blue jeans, white sneakers (boo on you if you don't like this outfit so far), silver dog tags, and a black Stone forehead protector. Naruto grimaced at the choice, but had no choice but to go with the gangster look. That wasn't his opposite, so he was slightly okay with it. He went to change after Sakura returned.

Sasuke was the last Genin to get his disguise. Of course, since Kakashi thought he was a girl because of the genjutsu, his disguise would be that of a girl. It consisted of a black kimono-style shirt, white pants, black sandals, and a black Stone forehead protector. And also…a black wig. Obviously, Kakashi did not think Sasuke's already girly hair was long enough for him to pass as a girl in the Stone village. Sasuke couldn't help but smirk at that thought, for he was passing as a girl already without the help of the wig. If he could fool his own Jounin sensei about his gender, he could fool anyone. But he didn't protest, and went to change after Naruto.

"Hey, Sakura! You look hot!" Naruto complimented after Kakashi had gone to change in his secretive disguise. "Goth suits you well!"

"Shut up, punk! Or I'll castrate you!" Sakura hissed, eyes white with anger as she held a fist threateningly at Naruto. "I hate this! Goths suck! There so damn depressed and obsessed with death and blood and gore and…I just can't stand that stuff! I don't know why Kakashi made me be this!"

"All right! I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I didn't mean to offend you." Naruto apologized. "What about _you_, Sasuke? What do _you_ think of Sakura's disguise?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Naruto, knowing exactly what he was trying to do. If Sasuke agreed with Naruto, then Sakura would agree with Sasuke, and therefore agree with Naruto. He could get her for that, saying that she still agreed with Sasuke because she still liked Sasuke. But Sasuke wouldn't fall for that.

"…It's fine…for this mission." Sasuke grumbled. "It's only to mask our true identities, so it doesn't matter what we really think of them. We just have to put up with them until we find this Kenji Nakata person, kill him, get out of the Stone village, and return home. That's all these are for."

"…So…Basically, you're saying that we have to wear them until the mission is complete?" Naruto asked, wanting to make sure he understood what Sasuke had said.

"…Basically."

Sakura smiled at Sasuke. Even with the black lipstick and eyeliner, she somehow managed to keep her angelic glow around her. Sasuke couldn't help but return her smile, a weird feeling rising up inside of him again. He tried to ignore it at first, but it refused to leave. So instead he went with it as far as he could without getting too much attention from Naruto.

"What do you think Kakashi-sensei's disguise is gonna be like?" Naruto inquired, changing the subject. "I mean, Sakura's a Goth, I'm a gangster, and Sasuke's a girl. What in the world could Kakashi-sensei be that would fit in with all of those different people?"

"I dunno. Perhaps another Goth?" Sakura suggested.

"…Not necessarily Goth, but someone wearing black?" Naruto guessed, shrugging.

"Well, whatever he is, he has to keep his Sharingan eye covered." Sasuke stated. "And, knowing him, he'll probably keep the lower half of his face covered as well. As for the rest of his disguise…it's anybody's guess."

"So you three are playing, 'What Will Kakashi Be,' are you? Well then, I guess I should have stayed away a little longer." Kakashi said from behind them.

The Genins turned around. Kakashi was, in fact not Gothic, but wearing black nonetheless. And he was still wearing a mask over the lower half of his face, as Sasuke had predicted. His disguise also consisted of a black shirt with one long sleeve while the other arm lacked a sleeve, black pants, navy blue sandals, a black Stone forehead protector (slanted over his Sharingan eye) and black fingerless gloves. His gray hair and been completely flattened , and now what would have been the highest point of his hair touched his shoulders.

"WOW! Kakashi-sensei! You look…completely different!" Naruto exclaimed, amazed. "Your hair seems to have had an improvement, by the way. But I think I liked the weird haircut better."

"Very funny, Naruto. Too bad no one's laughing." Kakashi muttered. "From now on, you are not to address me as Kakashi, nor will you address each other by your true names. Tsunade and I have decided on aliases to go with your disguises in order to completely mask your true identity. Even I have an alias, for my name is known throughout all of Japan, and it would be dangerous for me to go by my true name. You three are not as known as I am, but it wouldn't hurt to use aliases. Don't slip anyone's real name. It might put us in danger."

"What if we accidentally slip?" Sakura wanted to know, nervous.

"Lie. Say that they misheard you. Lies are a kunoichi and shinobi's best friend during undercover missions." Kakashi replied. "I will now give you your new names. Memorize your own and those of your comrades. Sakura, you are now Akira Masatsuka, a Gothic girl with severe emotional issues. Naruto, you are now Teppei Tsubuku, a gangster lacking control and friends. Sasuke, you are Koi Otani, the mysteriously happy and cheerful girl who is a misfit in her squad. And I am now Takashi Ishibashi, the strange Jounin of Squad 78 who pushes his students to their limits. Wow. That's a big change."

"How come you don't need to change too much?!" Naruto asked, glaring at Kakashi. "Takashi sure doesn't seem too different compared to you!"

"I'm just lucky like that." Kakashi sighed. "We'd better get going."

"Are you in a hurry to enter a village not allied with Konoha?" Sakura murmured, but Kakashi didn't hear her.

"Oh. One more thing before we go." Kakashi turned to face Naruto and Sasuke. "Teppei and Koi are dating. You'll have to play that part, too."

"WHAT?!!!!" Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura exclaimed.

"You didn't think we were just making these names up, did you? We're playing the parts of real Stone ninja who are M.I.A. (missing in action) so that we can make them 'return' without suspicion. Takashi is truly Akira, Teppei, and Koi's sensei, but Squad 78 disappeared three months ago. Koi and Teppei were together before the disappearances."

"Well, they can come back separated! I'm not hitting up on Sasuke! No way, no how! And I'm definitely not kissing _her_! The mere thought of it makes me sick to my stomach! Why can't Teppei be with Akira instead?! She's totally hot!" Naruto complained.

Kakashi sighed. "Look, Naruto. I can't change what these people felt, looked like, or anything. Shinobi learn to adapt to the missions they are given. And, if you want to be a shinobi, you'll have to adapt to this mission, too. Same goes for you, Sasuke and Sakura. There's a reason behind why I picked certain people to be who they are." Kakashi pulled out a picture from his pocket and held it up for the Genins to see. "These guys look a lot like you, don't they?"

"Yeah…I guess…" Sakura looked intently at the picture of Squad 78, Takashi's squad. "…Akira and I do share some of the same physical characteristics…Pink hair, slightly wide forehead…green eyes…"

"Teppei stole my haircut!" Naruto accused. "And he stole my eyes, too! How dare he!"

"…Unfortunately, Koi looks a lot like me…" Sasuke grumbled.

"I suppose…we _do_…look a lot like the person we're supposed to be…" Sakura commented. "Even Takashi and Kakashi share certain qualities."

"Exactly. That's why you're Akira, Naruto is Teppei, Sasuke is Koi, and I'm Takashi." Kakashi said, putting the picture away.

"However, Teppei doesn't have whiskers like Naruto does. How are you gonna cover that up?" Sakura inquired.

Kakashi threw a container at Sakura containing skin-colored makeup. It didn't match her skin tone, but it fit Naruto's perfectly.

"Put that over Naruto's whiskers. It'll feel just like skin to whoever touches it, and he'll look almost exactly like Teppei." Kakashi stated.

"Great. Now I have to wear makeup, too? This is unbelievable. I'm not even a transsexual like Sasuke, and I have to wear makeup. What is this world coming to?" Naruto muttered, crossing his arms.

"Just hold still." Sakura ordered, taking some of the makeup and putting it on his face over the whiskers that Kyuubi had given him (that's right, isn't it?). "Don't worry. At least you'll look pretty now. And maybe without the whiskers, people will think you're handsome."

"If you're trying to make me feel better, it isn't working." Naruto groaned.

"Don't talk. I'm almost done."

When she'd finally finished, his whiskers were completely concealed. And where they once were _did_ feel like skin. It was no ordinary makeup, but it worked.

"All right. If we're done with the technicalities, we'll be heading off now." Kakashi announced.

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Squad 7 entered the Stone village without arousing suspicion or resistance. The disguises were doing their magic, which was a good thing. The ninja standing guard near the gates did, however, seemed surprised to see them. Sakura didn't know whether this was a good thing or bad thing. If they were interested in their appearance, that could attract unwanted attention and endanger their identities.

_Well, Kakashi did say that the ninja we are posing as were gone for over three months. Perhaps that's why those guys are surprised to see us, _Sakura thought. _These people probably thought that Squad 78 was dead, and they might very well be so. Oh man...this is so frustrating. Right now, there are so many ways we could get caught or discovered. I just hope that doesn't happen. The consequences are fatal if we are discovered. And I'm too young to die!_

"Hey! Takashi!" one of the Stone ninja called, waving him over. "Long time no see!"

"Hey, Kimura!" Kakashi greeted, surprising his Genins by knowing this Stone nin's name. "Long time no see! Why don't you come over and we'll chat?"

"Sounds good to me!" Kimura shouted, running over to join the group. "So, we've you been these past three months? It's been a long, lonely few months without you, bro."

"That mission was tougher than I had anticipated. Assassinating the Sand Council members was very difficult, but we managed just a few days ago. Unfortunately, they replaced the members before we knew it. It's like the Sand village is prepared for stuff like that." Kakashi told him.

Kimura was about the same age as Kakashi, with short, dark brown hair and shining jade eyes. He was also about the same height. He was wearing pretty much the same outfit as Kakashi, only his shirt was gray and he had a katana sheathed in a scabbard at his side. Sakura couldn't help but stare at this older man, for he was sort of appealing to the eyes. Of course, he wasn't as appealing as Sasuke, but…

"How is your squad doing?" Kakashi asked. "Last I heard, Hitomi and Shinpei were trying to kill each other while Sousuke rose to Chuunin rank. Is that still true, or are they all Chuunins or higher now?"

"Sousuke is now a Jounin, but Hitomi and Shinpei are still trying to kill each other. It appears they have no interest in their rank." Kimura replied. "As long as they get to fight, they don't care about rank. Of course, they were better at controlling their anger when Koi and Akira were around." The Jounin looked at Sakura and Sasuke when he said that, a huge grin on his face. "Seems they wanted to impress these ladies with their self-control. Never really worked, though, as I recall."

"That figures. Akira was never really for that kind of guy. And Koi's already got Teppei, and you know how close they are." Kakashi agreed.

A nerve throbbed in both Sasuke and Naruto's foreheads, but they managed to remain silent.

"So, how are you three doing?" Kimura inquired, now speaking directly to them.

"Fine." Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms.

"…Terrific…" Sakura muttered.

"Horrible!" Sasuke exclaimed, for Koi was supposed to be cheerful. And with cheerfulness comes being obnoxious, if only slightly. "That mission took way too long! I just want to do something different right now!"

Kimura smiled. "That's the Koi I remember. Always so happy and excited and loud…It's been a drag around here without you to brighten it up. I'm sure glad you guys came back all right. Without you guys, this place has been going to the dogs."

"…Okay. We'll be seeing you. Tell the Tsuchikage that we're back and ready for new missions and the Chuunin exams whenever they come around." Kakashi said.

"Are you avoiding him again? You really haven't changed much since you disappeared." Kimura remarked.

"…You have no idea."

Squad 7 left Kimura. Once they were out of his audible range, Sakura piped up.

"How did you know that man's name? And how did you know so much about his squad?" she wanted to know.

"It was all in the mission's description. And we also have information on most of the ninja in the Stone village." Kakashi explained. "…We have…spies…from our village here as well, collecting data on everything about this village. Kimura was not one of them, but my sources have told me all I need to know about Takashi and his connections."

"Who the heck are Sousuke, Hitomi, and Shinpei?" Naruto asked. "I mean, I know they're that guy's students, but who are they?"

"They're right there." Kakashi answered, pointing at a trio of boys about the same age as the Genins. "Sousuke is the tallest and the one with blonde hair. Hitomi is the one with green hair. And Shinpei is the shortest."

Sousuke was indeed the tallest. He was just shorter than Kakashi. And, just like Kimura, Sakura thought he was appealing to the eyes. He had short, light blonde hair, warm brown eyes, and slightly tanned skin, proving that he was outdoors a lot. He wore the same style of shirt as Kakashi, but instead of black pants, he had on blue jeans. His forehead protector was in its respective place. In Sakura's eyes, he was almost as handsome as Sasuke.

Hitomi was just about as tall as Sasuke. He had shoulder-length dark green hair, lavender eyes, pale skin, and many bruises and scars here and there. Unlike Sousuke, he didn't wear the one-sleeved shirt. He wore a black T-shirt, blue jeans, a black Stone forehead protector around his arm, and navy blue sandals. He wasn't handsome, but he wasn't ugly in Sakura's eyes. Hitomi was just plain despite his bruises and scars.

Shinpei was shorter than even Naruto. He had longish icy blue hair that was pulled back into a single braid, equally icy blue eyes, and pale skin littered with bruises and scars. Just like Hitomi, he didn't wear the one-sleeved shirt. He wore a silver sleeveless robe, black pants, a black forehead protector in its respective place, and black sandals. Shinpei would almost look exactly like a girl if it weren't for the square set of his jaw and hard look in his eyes. He should have been a girl. Sakura didn't think anything was handsome about him. Beautiful, maybe.

Shinpei saw them within seconds of their approach. He growled and crossed his arms in apparent disgust, but happiness danced in his eyes when he laid eyes upon Sakura and Sasuke. Hitomi, seeing Shinpei's 'disgust,' turned around and saw them, too.

"Well, well. Look who's finally returned." he remarked, nudging Sousuke with his elbow. "Takashi's squad has finally decided to face us after being gone for so long."

Sousuke glanced over at them, but remained silent. A small smile was on his face, but the rest of his expression was emotionless. His eyes rested on Sakura, who had to look away in order to keep from blushing.

"How long have you been back, Koi?" Hitomi inquired, a strange look in his eyes that Sasuke didn't like.

"We just got back a few minutes ago." Sasuke replied with fake cheerfulness.

"Really? Well, since it seems that you don't have any new missions, would you like to go out with me tonight?" Hitomi wanted to know.

It took all of Sasuke's willpower not to kill Hitomi right then and there. He forced himself to keep smiling and made himself blush, disgusted the whole time.

_This is too...disgusting. Repulsive. A guy is attracted to me...That's just so wrong! And Naruto has to pretend to be my...boyfriend! Kakashi sure knows how to irritate me,_ Sasuke thought. _I shouldn't have ever agreed to that genjutsu. If I didn't do as Shibiki instructed, then I wouldn't be in this situation where guys are hitting up on me! Damn you, Shibiki! And...damn me, too...for agreeing to that stupid jutsu._

"Hey! Back away from my girl, punk!" Naruto hissed, even though he was as unhappy about this as Sasuke was. "Go find your own ho, yo! This girl's mine!"

"…Whatcha gonna do if I don't?" Hitomi taunted, wrapping an arm around Sasuke's shoulders. "Huh? Whatcha gonna do, Shorty?"

"Do ya really wanna find out, dog? Huh? 'Cuz ya will if ya don't get your arm off my lady!" Naruto shouted.

Hitomi smirked. "All threats, no balls, eh?"

And, just to infuriate Naruto more, he kissed Sasuke on the cheek.

Naruto charged and knocked Hitomi on the ground. Then he punched Hitomi repeatedly in the face. Sasuke had shrugged himself away from Hitomi, so he wasn't on the ground. But he was pretty much scarred for life after being kissed by a guy for the second time in his twelve years of living. To fit the part of Koi, he blushed a darker red to hide his anger.

"All right. This is where I step in." Kakashi muttered, grabbing Naruto by the back of his jacket. "Enough, Teppei. I think Hitomi received enough punishment from you. I believe he learned his lesson for right now."

Naruto withdrew and stood up, glaring down at the beaten up Hitomi. "Next time ya touch my girl, ya won't have balls anymore. I'll fucking castrate ya, boy!"

Sakura's eyes widened when she heard that word. Naruto had never dropped the F bomb. To hear him use it now was kind of shocking. But, knowing that Sousuke was watching her, she quickly regained her emotionless look. Naruto was surprising her, with his false affection towards Sasuke and the dirty words, but she couldn't let anyone else see that.

Hitomi's eyes got very wide at the word 'castrate.' He quickly got to his feet and ran off, yelling, "This ain't over, Teppei! I'll get Koi! Just you wait and see!"

Naruto cracked his knuckles loudly, making Hitomi run away even faster. Soon, he was only a moving dot on the horizon.

"Akira, you've been unusually silent." Sousuke remarked, speaking for the first time. His voice was like silk, and it made Sakura blush slightly. "Is there something wrong with you?"

"…Uh…Well…No. Not really." Sakura managed to say, forcing herself not to fidget. "I just got back from that mission, and so I'm not really in the talking mood. I'm sorry, Sousuke. We can talk later, I suppose."

"What do you mean by 'later?'" Naruto asked, smirking mischievously.

A nerve throbbed in Sakura's forehead. She turned around and punched Naruto in the face, causing him to fall backwards. "PERVERT!!! YOU KNOW I'M NOT LIKE THAT!!! SO DON'T IMPLY THAT STUFF TO ME AGAIN OR I'LL MAKE SURE YOU NEVER HAVE KIDS!!!"

"Calm down, Akira. Teppei's sorry for insulting you, I'm sure." Sasuke muttered, glancing down at Naruto. "I'm sure his hormones were just messing with his brain, and he misinterpreted what you said. Males have a tendency to do stuff like that."

"Well, he can just keep his comments to himself!" Sakura huffed, crossing her arms. "I'm not saying that I'm going to sleep with Sousuke! No way, no how!"

Sousuke, who had been smiling at Sakura's anger, now fell emotionless again. Shinpei seemed to notice this, but gave no real indication that he cared. Sasuke wondered why Sousuke's expression had changed so suddenly at Sakura's last remark. Did this young Jounin have feelings for Akira, who was now having her role played by Sakura? Was he planning on stealing her from Sasuke? At that thought, Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the taller teen, not wanting anyone to steal Sakura from him.

"Come on, you three. Let's leave these guys alone." Kakashi stated.

"…Okay." Sakura turned to look at Sousuke one last time. "Goodbye, Sousuke. See you some other time. Goodbye, Shinpei."

Shinpei nodded once before looking at Sasuke with that weird look that Hitomi had had before being scared off by Naruto. Sasuke had to force himself not to cringe with disgust under those eyes. Shinpei came closer, a look of amusement on his face as Sasuke watched him with careful eyes.

"You know that Teppei and Hitomi aren't any good." Shinpei whispered in Sasuke's ear. "You remember how Teppei treated you, don't you? And you know how repulsive Hitomi is. That's why you ran into my arms that one night. Why don't you come back to me, Koi? It would be better than having to be Teppei's bitch. And don't try lying to me about him. You told me everything he does to you on that night. Free yourself from his brutality and come with me instead."

Sasuke shivered with disgust. "…No thank you. I think…I think I'll stay with him." _Go away, you little creep! Stay away from me!_

"All the same, if you can't handle him and change your mind, you'll know where to find me." Shinpei breathed. "Until then, goodbye, Koi."

"Hey, Koi! Hurry it up, will ya?! We ain't got time to wait for ya to catch up!" Naruto yelled.

"Coming!" Sasuke called, running away from Shinpei and towards Naruto, all the time wondering what exactly had gone on between the people Squad 7 was now posing as.

* * *

"Excellent job, Naruto. You pulled off Teppei's part quite nicely." Kakashi complimented when they were in Takashi's old house and in private. Luckily, Takashi had not been married and had no children, so they didn't have to worry too much about eavesdropping people. "You too, Sasuke and Sakura. Especially you, Sasuke. I didn't think you could blush who express happiness. I think this is an improvement."

Sasuke, who had been deep in thought, was startled out of his thoughts. He looked at Kakashi, but remained silent under the questioning gazes of his squad. He shouldn't have to explain himself to them. What happened in his mind was his business and his alone.

"…Sasuke…? Are you all right?" Sakura asked, looking concerned as she approached him. Even there, with her brow furrowed in apprehension, she still managed to look beautiful in Sasuke's eyes.

"…Yes. I'm fine." Sasuke lied, his face emotionless. "I was just thinking, that's all."

"Would you mind sharing with the rest of the class what you were thinking?" Kakashi inquired.

"…It was about something Shinpei told me before we left. He said that Koi was Teppei's…bitch…and that he treated her poorly. And she once ran into Shinpei's arms. That just got me wondering about these people we're posing as." Sasuke replied, although he really didn't want to tell them about his thoughts.

"…So you're saying that Teppei beats on his girl? That's just sick." Naruto muttered.

"Shinpei could be lying, testing Koi's memory to see if she can recall those things after being gone for so long." Sakura suggested.

"No, Sakura. He has to be telling the truth. If he was lying, then he would have suspected that we weren't really who we say we are." Kakashi stated. "There are many things we don't know about the people we are posing as, and the only way we can figure them out is from the other people in this village. Teppei probably beat on Koi, or worse. Then she ran for safety and just happened to go to Shinpei. Who knows what those two did that night."

"…How old are the people we are posing as?" Sakura wanted to know, shivering with a mix of disgust and fear from Kakashi's words about Teppei, Koi, and Shinpei.

"The Genins are fifteen. I am twenty-eight." Kakashi answered. "And, just so you know, you all have to live with me because your parents were all ninja that died in battle. Akira did have an older sister named Shibiki, but she was reported missing a few months ago. She's probably dead, so it's the sensei's duty to take care of his students here in the Stone village. So you have to live here with me."

"Great. Sounds fun." Naruto grumbled sarcastically.

_Shibiki?! She was Akira's sister?!_ Sasuke thought. _No way...the girl who dared me to make myself a girl for three months...is related to the girl Sakura is pretending to be?! Well, talk about coincidence,_ Sasuke thought. _But how could Shibiki work for a bastard like Kenji when she had a little sister to look after? Did he pay her well? Why should I care? This isn't any of my true business. But..._

"While we're here, we'll probably have to carry out missions for the Stone village and participate in the Chuunin exams. Since you're just Genins, we'll get easy, no threat to Konoha missions that we can accomplish. But, if we enter the Chuunin exams, you must fail. Got it?"

"Aww…we _have _to fail?!" Naruto whined. "Why?!"

"If you were to pass, then that would make the Stone village supposedly stronger, and we'd be sent on higher up missions that could threaten Konoha. That's why." Kakashi replied sternly. "And while we're here, we'll ask people the whereabouts of Kenji Nakata, the businessman who is the reason we are undercover."

"How long is this gonna take?" Naruto asked, already impatient.

"…I don't know. Days, weeks, months…It's an unknown thing. Kenji is a hard man to track down. We may be here awhile."

"DAMN IT!!!"

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A whole month went by without any sign of Kenji Nakata. Squad 7 completed three dozen D-ranked missions for the Stone village without even the slightest complaint. Not even from Naruto, who would have griped and moaned about it until they got a higher ranked mission if he were in the Leaf village. All of the members of Squad 7 were so well adjusted that they barely addressed each other by their true name.

Only Sasuke remained slightly immune to this adaptation.

When he was not on missions, he spent most of his time trying to uncover things about Koi, Teppei, and Akira. Takashi didn't matter too much, so Sasuke didn't research him. As it turned out, each one of the Genins still had a home that they could return to if they chose. Items from those Squad 7 was posing as were still in there, so Sasuke visited those places in hopes of uncovering what exactly these Genins had been like before their disappearances.

Koi's house was all but empty. Clearly, she had moved out shortly after her parents died. There was nothing to find there.

Teppei's house looked as if he had just left the other day. There was much to uncover there. And, as Sasuke soon found out, Koi had lived with Teppei. Was it of her own choice, or had Teppei forced her to move in with him? Sasuke would find out as he searched through the house.

There were a couple of bedrooms, but only one was occupied. In there, only one normal-sized bed sat in the center of the room. A small cot that even Naruto wouldn't have been able to sleep on lay against the wall. The bed had a fresh bedspread on it while the cot's sheets looked old and ratty. The closet held both Teppei's and Koi's clothing, but he definitely had more clothes than Koi. In fact, hardly anything in the house was Koi's. Teppei had dominated the household, and probably controlled Koi as well. But Sasuke needed to find proof of this before he could be satisfied.

Under the sole pillow on the cot, Sasuke found a journal that was well-kept compared to most of the other stuff that had belonged to Koi. Its cover was of a flowerbed next to a lake during the night, when the moon was full. It reflected Koi's attitude and life; she was a beautiful and cheerful girl who had been forced into the dark with only the moonlight to watch over her during her torture. Sasuke hesitated in reading what was in the journal, but there was no other way to find out if Shinpei had told him the truth. After a few minutes of silence and internal conflict, the Uchiha finally opened the journal to the first page. It read:

_April 26_

_Teppei has forced me to move in with him. My parents have barely been dead a week, and already he's starting to tear my life apart again. He decides what I bring to his house, and whatever he doesn't like he throws out or destroys. If I protest, he hits me or kicks me or throws me against the wall. He says he loves me, but I don't believe that. My parents had always stopped him from this before because of their rank, but now there's nothing to stop him from torturing me._

_I write this hoping that someday someone will find this or find out about my torture...and save me. I don't like being hit, pushed, and slapped around like I'm nobody. Teppei makes me feel worthless. I would tell you that I don't love him, but then I'd be lying. Somehow, I have begun to have feelings for him. But I hope they will go away. Deep down, I hate him! I despise him! I want him to die! If I had the courage, I would kill him myself for all the suffering he has put me through! But...I am nothing ...nothing…but a coward._

So Shinpei had not lied. Teppei really had treated Koi horribly. Sasuke read on, even though he had the evidence he had desired. Why did he read on? He wanted to know if Koi had run to Shinpei, the girly man, and everything that Koi had gone through.

_September 7_

_...Teppei's torment has gone too far...No words I can write can describe how violated I feel right now...It's bad enough I have to sleep in his bed or on that horrible cot too small and disgusting for any human, that I can only eat what he gives me, and that I must perform every house task or suffer his abuse...But he now wants to do things with my body? I...tried to stop him...from touching me...I tried to keep him off of me...but he somehow managed to overpower me. I don't know how...we're both Genin and equally strong...but somehow he overpowered me._

_I had just put our clothes away after completing the tiring task of doing the laundry when he closed the door to our room. Before I could turn around to inquire why he had locked it, his hands were on my shoulders, grasping them so hard that it hurt. Teppei roughly pushed me against the wall, and this motion itself was very painful. Then he...pressed his lips against mine with so much roughness and brutality that it hurt, too. I didn't kiss back, for I was in too much pain and shock to even consider kissing the monster violating my body. Teppei slapped me across the face for that, ordering me to comply with his demands. Then he kissed me again, and I had no choice but to kiss back or be hit again._

_Before I knew it...He had pushed me onto his bed. He...he was on top of me. Now I knew what his intention was, and I began to resist. But...I failed. He hit me, telling me that if I tried to resist anymore, he'd kill me. I...I was so...afraid that I gave in. He ripped off my shirt, my pants, my lingerie...Kami, I was so embarrassed and humiliated...And then he took off his clothes. That's when the real torture began..._

_I remember it all so vividly. Every violent kiss...every painful moan from me...every angry grunt from him when I didn't do what he wanted...And it all adds up to my violated feeling. When he finished this, he got dressed and left the house, telling me that I'd, "better do better next time, Bitch." I fear that the "next time" will be even worse. I...I just hope that...I don't get pregnant...because of him._

Sasuke closed the journal after reading the account of the rape Koi had gone through because of Teppei. He couldn't believe that a man could treat a girl like that. And this had happened just over nine months ago. How could anyone do something so cruel, something so heartless, to someone so innocent? Because of this, Sasuke couldn't find the courage to read anymore on that specific day.

* * *

Akira's house was similar to the appearance of Teppei's. It was hard to believe that it had been unoccupied for over four months now. It had the Gothic atmosphere clinging everywhere, fitting for someone like Akira…and probably Shibiki, too.

There were many photographs of the Masatsuka clan all over the house. Shibiki's short life had been recorded in these pictures, as well as that of her younger sister. Seeing the purple-haired Genin in these still portraits brought back memories from the night that he had killed her, but he just pushed them aside. Unlike the feelings he got for Sakura, he could easily ignore trivial stuff like that.

Akira's room was as dark and dreary as anyone could expect a Goth's room to be. Like Koi, she also had a journal to record important events in. The cover of hers, however, was just black. No happiness there. Figures...Akira was Gothic, and they hardly find happiness in anything.

_April 30_

_Some weird things are going on between Teppei and Koi. I know he forced her to move in with him, and I know that he treats her horribly. This shouldn't concern me, but Koi is my friend and a fellow Genin. Whatever she pains from, I pain from. If Teppei does anything too dire to her, I swear I'll kill him! _

Well, that was short, sweet, and to the point. But Sasuke at least gained something from reading this. Koi and Akira had been friends, and Akira had been aware of what Teppei was doing to Koi. She could have stopped him from doing anything too dangerous. But then...how did she not find out about the rape? Or, if she did, did she do anything about it?

_September 10_

_I SWEAR I'm GOING TO KILL TEPPEI!!!! HE THINKS HE CAN RAPE MY FRIEND AND GET AWAY WITH IT?!!! WELL, I'VE GOT NEWS FOR HIM!!! __NO ONE __CAN HURT MY FRIENDS LIKE THAT!!!! HE'S __DEAD__ WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON HIM!!! KOI WILL NEVER GO THROUGH THIS KIND OF PAIN AGAIN!!!! I SWEAR I'LL NEVER LET HIM TOUCH HER AGAIN!!!!_

And, under that angry writing, there was a gory sketching of Teppei head cut off from the top of his body with a shuriken in both eyes and blood spewing everywhere.

Sasuke nearly threw up at the sight of the nice little sketch, but managed to somehow keep his food down. It was evident that Koi had told her friend about the violation and that Akira had been very pissed. But did she follow through with her threat? Obviously, she didn't kill Teppei, for he had gone away with the rest of Squad 78 when they disappeared off the face of the Earth. So did she do anything to punish Teppei for raping Koi? Or had she been unable to hurt him?

_October 1_

_Alas, I could not kill Teppei. That would have been a crime against my village, even though he himself committed a crime. But he did not go unpunished, I can assure you. I cornered him with some of my…dark…friends and beat the shit out of him. I even thought of castrating him, but that would be too much and too disgusting. I didn't want to touch that disgusting little thing. Anyway, it wasn't enough to make up for what he did to my best friend, but he'll think twice the next time he thinks about touching Koi inappropriately. And soon, Koi will be living with Shibiki and me. It's for her own protection and well-being, since she's pregnant and all…_

Sasuke's eyes widened at that last part. _Koi was pregnant?!_ he thought, shocked. _Who was the father?! When Teppei raped her, did she become pregnant, or was it when she supposedly ran to Shinpei?! Why do I have to pretend to be someone who's pregnant?! _

This was very disturbing for the young Uchiha. Koi had to have been pregnant for six months when she disappeared at the most. If she was still alive, she had probably already had her child sometime this month. Who was the father? Shinpei, the girly Stone ninja who should have been a girl rather than a guy, or Teppei, the abusive Stone ninja who controlled Koi and called her his bitch? Sasuke actually hoped that it was Shinpei, and also hoped that Teppei died a very painful death. Shinpei would have been a better father than Teppei could have ever been.

Akira had been more emotional than most Goths. Kakashi had said she had emotional issues, but he had not expected them to be so dramatic. Most Goths were very depressed and very depressing, but Akira was a lot like Sakura. Of course, there were major differences between the two that kept him from loving Akira, but it would have been nice to know the sister of Shibiki, a young woman he had killed. She seemed like a very interesting person.

Remembering Shibiki made him explore her room, too. Her room was different from Akira's; it was more girly than her younger sister's. Under her mattress was another freaking journal with a floral cover. Perhaps she, too, kept accounts of events. Perhaps in between the pages was information that would lead Squad 7 to their target. There was only one way to find out.

_March 21_

_Today, my squad has been hired to capture the princess of the Land of Snow when she visits the Sand village in two weeks. The man who has hired us is a businessman named Kenji Nakata. I'm sure I've written his name down before…Let me check…Yes. He is the man who sent ninja to kill my parents and my sister's comrades' parents because they refused to abide by his blackmail. Under normal circumstances, I would defy Leisurra and murder this man for what he has done to me and Akira and the rest of Squad 78, but we are not under normal circumstances. Kenji promises us good pay and any treasure we can find on the ship that will transport Princess Koyuki…but only if we can kidnap the princess. Leisurra, my sensei, and Namu are but too eager to agree. Greedy bastards…they don't know this man and they don't care what he does to everyone else in their village. I am, however, very reluctant to comply. _

_Kenji must have sensed that and or recognized me, for when I didn't agree with the rest of my squad, he sent them out of the room and began issuing threats. He said that if I didn't do this mission, he would send ninja to kill my sister. Or they'd kill me themselves. Or they would just kill both of us. I didn't care if they killed me, but my sister had suffered enough from our losses. She didn't deserve to die. _

_If only my comrade Naomi were still alive…She would have backed me up on this. With her at my side, I would have found the strength to kill Kenji right then and there. But she died during that B-ranked mission where we were sent to kill an assassin from the Sound. And, with her gone, my courage is inactive._

_Now I serve the murderer of my parents, the blackmailing businessman of the Stone village. How low I've sunk to keep Akira alive. This Kenji is similar to Gato, another blackmailing businessman, but Gato was a lot stronger and more well-known. If Kenji is trying to be Gato, he's failing miserably. I just wish I had killed Kenji when I had the chance…_

So, Shibiki had hated Kenji as well. She was forced to work for him at the cost of her sister's life. She had even compared him to Gato, just as Sasuke had done the night Shibiki had told him about Kenji. But Kenji was no Gato. Gato had more power and strength and was a man known all throughout Japan. Kenji was only known in is land, primarily in his village. He could never compete with the now dead Gato, and now he never would, for Squad 7 would hunt him down and kill him.

Underneath this journal entry that was only four months old was an address with Kenji's name above it. She must have made a record of where he lived just in case she ever got the courage to go after him and avenge her parents. Armed with this information, the mission would become that much easier. And then Squad 7 could return home sooner.

After visiting everyone's old homes, Sasuke returned to Takashi's place with all the journals for future scanning…and perhaps future insight.

* * *

Sakura stood outside Takashi's house, waiting for Sasuke to return. He had told her what he was doing (gathering information), so she didn't worry that he might be in trouble. But she was lonely without him there. Naruto was too busy perfecting his gangster attitude or chowing down on ramen to pay her any heed, and Kakashi was always gone or reading his perverted book. Sasuke was one of the only people who paid attention to her. Who else paid attention to her?

Sousuke…Hitomi…Shinpei.

If they'd known who she really was, they probably wouldn't have been so close. But they all thought she was Akira Masatsuka, not Sakura Haruno. So therefore, any feelings they had had for Akira were now directed at her. Hitomi was an obnoxious pervert, and she constantly had to fight him to keep him from touching her. Shinpei was a strange, observing, unemotional guy who rarely spoke, and she rarely had to fight him or tell him to leave. He did, however, creep her out when he always watched her. He was better than Hitomi, that was for sure.

And then there was Sousuke.

The irony that his name was very close to the first person she'd fallen in love with didn't bother her too much anymore. He was not at all like Hitomi, but he wasn't much like Shinpei, either. He was sweet, kind of withdrawn, considerate…everything that she ever wanted in a guy was in him. He was perfect. And, if she got into a farce with Hitomi, he was the first person to reprimand the little green-haired pervert. She often blushed at the little things he said, but never stopped to wonder whether Akira had done the same. She liked Sousuke as much as she liked Sasuke.

But she wouldn't tell Sasuke that.

Why? She didn't want him angry with her or Sousuke. Sakura loved them both, and she didn't want them at each other's throats. Besides, Sasuke was in the guise of a girl right now, so Sousuke would never know. It would be okay for the time being…wouldn't it?

_Besides, I'm not even sure Sasuke likes me. I mean, sure...when I kissed him that one time, he kissed back...but that could have been for a number of reasons. He could have been trying to make me feel better or something along those lines. And we haven't kissed in a long time since then, so even if he did like me, his heart could have changed, _Sakura thought morosely, sighing. _I just hope he doesn't find out how I feel about Sousuke. He wouldn't find it ironic or amusing if I chose someone with a name like his over him. But once this mission's over, it won't matter how I feel about Sousuke. He doesn't love me, anyway. He loves Akira, the girl I'm pretending to be. If he knew who I really was, I'm sure he wouldn't hesitate to kill me. Once this mission's done, Sasuke and I can be together...once he sheds his genjutsu, that is._

"Hello, Akira." Sousuke greeted, startling her out of her thoughts. He noticed that immediately. "Sorry. I didn't realize how deep in thought you were. That's just like you, though, to be thinking about other things. I bet you didn't even realize that it's raining right now, and that you're soaked through."

Sakura glanced up at the sky. Sure enough, rain was pouring down upon the village. It was freezing cold, and it was only then that she felt the dampness of her clothes. _Thank Kami I'm wearing black, not white,_ she thought.

"…I'm sorry. You were right. I didn't know it was raining." Sakura admitted with a small smile. "I was…waiting for Koi to return…and I guess I got lost in thought."

Sousuke smirked. "That's all right. Sometimes people do stuff like that. We're only human; we're prone to make mistakes. But you can always go in and dry off or…"

"Or what?" Sakura asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

"…You could walk over to my house and warm up there. Then we could hang out without the extra company of your sensei and that nuisance Teppei." Sousuke suggested. "What do you say?"

"Well…" Sakura said, thinking. _I told Sasuke that I'd wait up for him. Normally, I wouldn't break a promise to him, but...How can I say no to Sousuke? He's so...urgh! Sakura! Get a grip! This guy would be your enemy under normal circumstances! And yet..._

"I'm sure Koi would understand if you came with me." Sousuke stated casually. "But if you want to wait for her here, I can wait up, too. Then we can leave."

_...Sousuke...I...I can't believe I'm about to do this. You're so...persistent...and handsome. I just hope Sasuke will forgive me, _Sakura thought.

"…All right. Let's go to your place." Sakura said.

* * *

A few minutes later, Sasuke entered Takashi's house. Naruto was chowing down on ramen in front of the TV while Kakashi was reading his book at the kitchen table. Sakura was nowhere to be seen.

_That's odd. She said she'd wait for me,_ Sasuke thought, taking off his soaked jacket and hanging it up in the closet and putting his backpack (he was carrying one, okay) on the floor. _Where did that pink-haired kunoichi go?_

"Hey! You're back!" Naruto exclaimed after slurping down his noodles. "Where'd you go, anyway?! We've been worried about you!"

"Where's Sakura?" Sasuke inquired, ignoring Naruto's question.

"She went out with Sousuke. They went to his place to hang out without having us as company." Kakashi replied, putting his book away. "But now, that's not entirely important. Where were you, Sasuke? Why do you keep disappearing so frequently and appear without a word about where you've been? You're starting to worry me, you know that. And obviously, you're sharing this information with Sakura because she's been acting strangely, and I want to know why. I didn't confront her because she's not at fault for anything. I probably should have confronted you earlier, but I'm doing it now. Tell me where you've been lately, Sasuke, and I mean now!"

Sasuke gulped silently, but his face remained emotionless. Naruto, obviously finding their conversation more interesting than whatever he had been watching turned off the TV and joined Kakashi and Sasuke at the table.

"…Don't make me repeat myself, Sasuke." Kakashi warned. "Just answer my questions."

Sasuke sighed. He might as well come clean with the rest of his squad, anyway.

"…I've been to Squad 78's old homes to get background information on those we are posing as." he answered. "I thought it would be better to know who I really am pretending to be, and everything that had happened to her. It would also be useful to find out about whom Naruto and Sakura are pretending to be, so I visited Teppei and Akira's old homes as well. I'm not betraying you, if that what you're thinking I was up to."

"…I didn't suspect that at all, Sasuke. I was only curious." Kakashi told him. "Did you learn anything useful about these people?"

"Yes." Sasuke replied. "Koi was forced to move in with Teppei shortly after her parents' deaths. From that tidbit of information alone, I can assure you that their relationship was not a happy one. At least, not for Koi. This man was horrible to her. He was very abusive if things weren't done the way he wanted them done. And then he did the unthinkable to Koi that mentally, physically, and emotionally scarred her. He raped her.

"Koi was cheerful person before the rape, I believe, and perhaps this was only to disguise her pain. As far as I know, Teppei has always been a part of Koi's life. Her parents had been her only protection from him, and when they died, no one could protect her anymore. I don't know how she coped with this all and managed to keep living. She even became pregnant about nine months ago with either Teppei or Shinpei's child.

"Akira is an emotional Goth, an unlikely character clash. She was a friend of Koi's, and she made sure Teppei didn't go unpunished when he raped her. She has major anger issues, which I found out while reading her journal. But other than that, there isn't much else I could find out about her. But I learned more from her older sister, Shibiki; more information that will help us with our mission. She wrote in her journal…Kenji's address."

Naruto's eyes were huge. And, for once, he was speechless. Kakashi remained silent and his face portrayed no emotion from what Sasuke could see (there isn't much to look at, anyway; only his right eye).

"So…So the guy I'm supposed to be…is an abusive rapist?" Naruto stammered, eyes still huge. "And…he…he might have gotten Koi…_pregnant_?"

Sasuke nodded. Naruto went nuts, going on about how wrong this Teppei guy was and how unfair it was that he had to be this person. Kakashi hit him upside the head, knocking Naruto unconscious so that he wouldn't be so annoying anymore.

"Do you have the journal?" Kakashi wanted to know, folding his hands in front of him again. "Or perhaps you have the address written down somewhere?"

"I have the journals of Koi, Akira, and Shibiki." Sasuke answered, taking them out of the backpack and placing them in front of Kakashi. "Why do you want them?"

Kakashi did not reply. He picked up the journal on top and flipped it open. Sasuke waited patiently for Kakashi to answer him as the Jounin scanned the first few pages of Koi's journal. Time ticked by slowly during the prolonged silence.

"…You'll get these back tonight. Right now, I want to read through them, to see if there is anything you missed." Kakashi finally said. "You may leave now."

Sighing, Sasuke left the table. There wasn't really anything for him to do now, for Naruto was unconscious and Sakura was gone. He flipped on the TV, but nothing interesting was on. There was nothing to do in that boring house that once belonged to a man named Takashi Ishibashi. So there was only one thing left for Sasuke to do.

He would go find Sakura.

* * *

Sousuke's house wasn't too far from Takashi's place, but it was definitely a lot smaller. And a lot more quiet. Apparently, Sousuke had been the only child of his parents, who were now dead, just like many other people in this village.

Sakura warmed up next to a fire that Sousuke had built in the fireplace, her dark clothes drying after being soaked through by the rain. It was only July, so the heat wasn't completely necessary. But Sousuke wanted her to be comfortable. He even offered to get her some dry clothes if the heat was unbearable. Sakura kindly declined, saying she would deal with the heat. After all, the rain made it feel like sixty degrees outside, so it was kinda cold to her, anyway.

_This is kinda nice. And sort of romantic,_ Sakura thought. _It's just us two, in this small little home, with a nice little fire crackling away as a source of heat. And the rain seems to have gotten a little heavier, so I won't be able to leave. This is...this is one of my fantasies...only...only it's supposed to be with Sasuke..._

Guilt kicked in when she really thought about it. She had always imagined herself with Sasuke somewhere strange and romantic, like inside his mansion with the rain pouring down and a fire crackling away. That fantasy had come true, but not with him, and that made her feel guilty for some unknown reason.

"How are you doing?" Sousuke asked, coming back into the room with two steaming bowls of ramen, handing one to her with a pair of chopsticks.

"Fine. I'm starting to dry, if that's what you mean." Sakura replied, feigning a smile. "Thank you, for everything. You're very…considerate."

"You're welcome." Sousuke said, sitting down beside her.

For a while, they sat in silence while they ate. Sakura enjoyed Sousuke's company a lot, and she liked him a lot, but something felt totally wrong here. A part of her wished she had stayed and turned down Sousuke's offer. That part wanted to be with some other guy, a guy whom she had known since she was in the Academy. And then that part of her made the rest of her long for him as well.

She wanted to be with Sasuke.

Sakura put down her bowl when it was empty and stood up. She wasn't completely dry, but it didn't matter anymore. The rain pouring outside would just get her wet again. She couldn't stand being away from Sasuke another minute. She had to return to Takashi's place and see his false girly face again.

"Akira, what's wrong?" Sousuke inquired, standing up as well.

_Damn it! I forgot about him,_ Sakura thought, turning to face him. "Well…I…uh…have to get going. Takashi wants us to train soon, and if I'm late…"

"He's going to make you train in _this_?" Sousuke wanted to know, indicating the downpour outside. "Seems kinda strange, even for Takashi Ishibashi."

"Yeah, well…he's a very strange sensei. Besides, he's made us train under worse conditions than heavy rain." Sakura remarked candidly (Kakashi has made them train under worse conditions, and right now he's Takashi). "I'd better be going."

"Wait, Akira." Sousuke grabbed Sakura's hand, stopping her in her tracks. "Don't go."

Sakura turned around to face him again, her heart accelerating. Sousuke's eyes had some strange emotion, like desperation, shining in them, and that made her slightly uncomfortable. What did he want from her?

"Your sensei can wait. There's…something I want to tell you." Sousuke now seemed kind of embarrassed about this, for his face was slightly flushed. Sakura thought he looked a little cuter when he was discomfited. "I…know you're not really Akira…but I still…find myself…very attracted to you."

Sakura gaped at him. "…What? What did you just say?"

Sousuke smirked. "I know you're not really Akira, if that's what you want me to repeat."

"H-How did you-?!"

"The little things about your behavior led me to believe you weren't Akira. The way you talk, the way you walk, the way you react to certain things…It told all. The others have no idea, I assure you, but I know. But it doesn't matter. I still feel…attracted to you."

"If you know that I'm not Akira, then why didn't you turn me in or kill me?"

"I just told you. I'm attracted to you, no matter what village you're from. The weird thing is…even though I know you're not Akira…I don't know your real name."

"…As a fellow ninja, you should know I'm not obliged to tell you my real name."

"I know. That's why I didn't ask you to tell me."

Sousuke leaned forward and brushed his lips up against Sakura's. At first, she pulled back. This was all new to her, and she was only twelve. Sousuke was at least fifteen. That was a three-year margin. Fifteen-year-olds participate in activities that twelve-year-olds only have a glimpse at. She wasn't about to do something too intimate, considering her age and her feelings for Sasuke.

_It's just a kiss. That's nothing too personal, _Sakura thought, trying to assure herself that she wasn't doing anything wrong. _Besides, Sasuke would never find out if I kissed Sousuke. He's gone off trying to find out stuff about Squad 78. He's probably still busy. I shouldn't give this a second thought. That's it! I'm going in!_

_**CHA!!! LET'S DO THIS!!!**_ Inner Sakura cheered.

Sakura gave into temptation and kissed Sousuke back. It was, after all, just a kiss. What harm could it do? None, no matter how passionate…Right?

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Sakura returned to Takashi's home two hours later, when the rain had stopped and she was finally dry. Sousuke had learned nothing new about her identity, and nothing else romantic passed between them after that kiss. But her heart was still accelerating despite the time elapse between now and the touching of their lips.

"Akira! You're finally back!" Naruto cried, jumping up off of the couch and running over to hug her. She side-stepped him, causing him to fall on the ground face-first. "Ow! That was cold, girl. I was just concerned for ya, and ya just had to do me like that, didn't ya? How cold…"

"Naruto, your gangster talk isn't getting any better." Sakura muttered, rolling her eyes as her blonde knucklehead friend got up. "And don't call me Akira unless someone from the Stone village is here, okay? I thought I told you that before." Sakura glanced around the room for any sign that Sasuke had come back. When she didn't see him, she asked, "Where's Sasuke? Did she come back yet?"

"Yes, she did. Twice, actually." Kakashi replied, still sitting at the table reading those journals instead of his perverted book. "She returned the first time shortly after you left, and gave us some valuable information about Kenji's possible whereabouts. The second time she returned was about two hours ago, and she seemed kinda upset about something."

A cold feeling crept into Sakura. "…Upset…?"

"Well, upset isn't exactly the right word. More like bitter." Kakashi said. "She's in her room if you want to talk to her."

"Why would Sakura want to talk to _her_? Sasuke is such a horrible person." Naruto said, but not as loud as he used to speak. How strange.

"Sasuke is not!" Sakura shouted, glaring at Naruto. "I'm going to talk to her. See you guys later. Hopefully, Sasuke will be, too."

She left the room and traveled down the hallway leading to Sasuke's new room. Her heart was racing, for she feared that Sasuke might have seen her kiss Sousuke. That was the only logical explanation for his sudden reappearance two hours ago. That was the only logical explanation for his bitter behavior. She reached the door, reached up to knock, and froze.

_What am I doing? I shouldn't bug him if he saw me and Sousuke. He'll just be cross with me. Then again, what if there's another reason for his anger? I'd be a horrible person if I didn't try to make him feel better...Oh, this is such a tough decision,_ Sakura thought.

_**CHA!!! JUST KNOCK ON THE DOOR ALREADY!!! THAT'S THE ONLY WAY YOU'LL FIND ANYTHING OUT!!! THINK OF SASUKE, YOU MORON!!!**_ Inner Sakura screamed, frustrated with Sakura's hesitating.

_Hey! I'm no moron! Besides, you're just a figment of my imagination! I can get rid of you anytime I want if you keep this up!_

Sighing, and heart still racing, Sakura reached up and lightly knocked on the door.

"Sasuke? Are you okay in there?" she called softly. "It's me, Sakura. Can I come in?"

There wasn't the slightest noise made on the other side of the door. No movement, no groan, no anything. Just silence. Sakura was now sure that Sasuke had seen her kiss Sousuke. If he hadn't, then he would have let her in. But he had, and now he was angry with her and wished not to see her. But Sakura was stubborn, and would not give up so easily. Not even for Sasuke.

"Okay, Sasuke. I know you're in there. Open up!" Sakura demanded, hitting the door harder this time. "Let me in so we can talk about this! Neither one of us will feel any better until this matter is resolved. Let me in already, will you?" Nothing. Sakura sighed, crossing her arms. "You know, I'd expect something like this from Naruto, but not from someone who's supposed to be as mature as you. Locking yourself in your own room is so childish. Grow up, will you?! Talk about you damn problems! Keeping them locked within will only hurt you!" Still nothing. "Damn it, Sasuke! You're so immature! You make Naruto look like an adult!"

"…Will you shut up already?!" Sasuke yelled from the other side of the door. "Leave me alone!"

"I will when you let me in!" Sakura exclaimed. "Now open this door now before I knock it down! And you know I will!"

There was a loud groan from the other side of the door. This was followed by intentionally heavy footsteps. Sakura mentally cheered about her success as the doorknob became unlocked and turned.

Sasuke swung the door open, his face a picture of rage. Sakura was almost taken aback by the intensity of his anger, although she knew he'd be furious with her after those comments she'd made about him. But this was more that she expected. He looked ready to kill something. And she was the closest thing that would give him that opportunity.

"There! Happy now?!" Sasuke growled, standing in the doorway with his arms crossed.

"No, not really!" Sakura grumbled, glaring back at him. "You still haven't told me what the hell's the matter with you! I'm not going anywhere until you tell me everything, Sasuke! And you know I won't 'cuz you know how stubborn I am! You might as well go ahead and give in!"

"If you're as stubborn as usual, you'd better get used to the sight of this door! I'm not telling you a damn thing!" Sasuke stated, going to slam the door.

"Oh no you don't!" Sakura thrust her arm up against the door, and pushed against Sasuke's strength so he wouldn't close her out. He tried with all his might, but he could not close the door because of Sakura's inhuman strength.

But he wouldn't give in so easily.

He'd just have to play dirty to get his way.

Sasuke kicked Sakura in the stomach, causing her great pain. She was forced to let go of the door because of her pain. Sasuke took advantage of that and closed the door. The sound of it locking met Sakura's ears as she gritted her teeth against the pain.

_That's it. I give up,_ Sakura thought morosely, her back against the wall across from Sasuke's room. She slid down it, pulled her knees up to her chest, and rested her forehead on her knees. _He's never going to speak to me again...and the only reason he'd be acting like this around me...is that he saw me kiss Sousuke. I guess...I guess I'm getting what I deserve...for being so careless...and selfish. I don't blame him for hating me. After what I did to his heart, I wouldn't blame him if he ignored me for all eternity..._

Sasuke stood beside his door, feeling horrible after kicking Sakura. He hated hurting her, and his heart ached because of what he'd done. But he had to keep away from her after what she had done with Sousuke. It still hurt to think about it.

His back was against the door, and he slid down it until he was sitting on the floor. Sasuke was completely aware of how Sakura must feel at that moment. But did she understand how _he_ felt? Apparently not, for she was pressing him to do the one thing he didn't want to do: talk about his feelings. And she was insulting him in hopes of getting him to let her in. Did she even care about him anymore? It seemed that she had found love elsewhere. He probably meant nothing to her now.

The more he thought about this, the worse he felt. Sasuke wanted Sakura to be with him, not someone three years older with a similar name that she'd probably never see again due to his village. Sasuke wanted Sakura to love _him_, not Sousuke. Sasuke wanted Sakura to want _him_. But that was just a hopeless dream in his heart now. It seemed that she would choose Sousuke over him, and he'd once again be alone. That would be normal for him.

But would he be able to revert back, now that he had found love?

No.

After a few minutes of empty silence had passed, Sakura heard the doorknob slowly turn. But she did not look up. She kept her forehead on her knees, not wanting to look at Sasuke while he gave her what she deserved. She was worthless…after what she'd done to him. She didn't deserve to see his face ever again, girly or otherwise. He probably knew that. Then he would just injure her in any way he saw fit. Right?

The door creaked open. A long shadow fell over Sakura, and she thought she felt a dark aura radiate from its source. She shivered, but mentally prepared herself for the punishment of her actions.

"…Sakura?" Sasuke whispered, no anger in his voice. "…Are you all right?"

Sakura lifted her head off her knees and gaped at him. All the anger that had been there only minutes ago was gone; there wasn't even a trace of in his eyes. How had he forgiven her so quickly? Inside, she was happy that he was no longer furious with her. But that happiness faded when she realized this could be a trap.

"…Yeah…I'm fine…" Sakura muttered, although her stomach still hurt from his kick.

"…Do you want to come in and talk or what?" Sasuke asked.

"…Uh…Sure, I suppose…" Sakura replied, standing up and ignoring the pain that shot up through her. "…I'll come in as long as this isn't some trap…"

Sasuke's expression looked hurt. "Do you really think I could upset you like that?"

Sakura was taken aback by that. Now she was sure Sasuke just wanted to talk, and that he wasn't planning to lure her into a trap. That pained look in his eyes said it all. She was the one who hurt him, the boy she'd had a crush on for a couple of years now, when he was starting to like her. Guilty pangs attacked her, making her feel worse than she had felt just a few moments ago.

Instead of answering his question, she briskly walked passed him and into his room. He closed the door behind them, ensuring some privacy from Naruto and Kakashi, who had probably heard all their yelling prior to this moment. She turned around to face him and his pounding questions, hoping that she could regain his trust and heart without further damaging either thing.

But he remained silent and staring.

So she would have to ask the first question.

"…Why were you angry just a few minutes ago? And why did you let me in?" Sakura inquired, fidgeting nervously.

Sasuke took his time in answering. Sakura wished that he'd undo the jutsu right now so she could really see his face, but he did not. It was a safety reason, for Kakashi or Naruto could come in and find out the truth if he undid the jutsu now. Even if it brought her down to keep seeing his girly form, she accepted that it was for the best at that moment.

"…I was angry because you insulted me needlessly…" Sasuke answered.

"I already knew that! Tell me the other reason why you were angry and locked yourself in your room." Sakura urged. "And answer my other question…please."

"…I saw you…and Sousuke…kiss…and it set me off…" Sasuke managed to say, hiding his eyes in the shadow of his hair because he was both ashamed and embarrassed. "…And I…let you in just now…because I…I…" Then he trailed off, unable to form the words because of his stubborn pride.

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. She knew he'd seen her kiss Sousuke. That she wasn't astounded about. She was astonished that he was so…timid…when it came to revealing his feelings. No wonder he had been so obstinate about letting her in to talk about this. And, since he was having difficulty completing his sentence, she knew exactly why he let her in.

He loved her!

But he was ashamed of his feelings, that much was evident. She couldn't stand to see him upset about loving her. That was too cruel for someone to do to themselves just because they're in love. She just had to do something.

But should she?

After all, he could go off at any moment. He saw her kiss Sousuke, and that had set him off. Would he even dream about kissing the lips that had touched those of another man? Would he begin to hate her because of that? What should she do? What could she do to make up for that? Was there anything in the world that could make up for breaking his heart?

"…Sasuke…There's nothing to be ashamed of…" Sakura finally managed to whisper, unable to say anymore.

He glanced over at her. She gasped in shock.

He had undone the jutsu.

Sasuke slowly approached Sakura, whose heart was beating rapidly. Somehow she managed to stay still and not back away from him as he came closer until their faces were only about a few inches apart. Her heart skipped a beat as she anticipated his next move.

"…Before I do anything…_too_ dramatic…" Sasuke whispered, proving her anticipation wrong, "…I want to know something. Why did you kiss Sousuke? Do you…love him or something?"

"…Why do you want to know?" Sakura dared to inquire.

"…Because I don't want to give my heart to someone who will tear it apart…and then run off with another guy. My heart has been frozen over…since that damned day…when my brother massacred my entire family. To have it…completely destroyed by the only girl I have ever…loved…would surely bring an end to me. That's why I must know how you feel…about Sousuke."

Sakura was about to answer in the normal voice level, but Sasuke stopped her. She raised an eyebrow in surprise…until he gestured at the door. Then she understood.

"NARUTO!!! STOP EAVESDROPPING!!!" Sakura shouted. Then she whispered, "Sorry, Sasuke," for she yelled right beside his ears and probably deafened him for a few seconds.

There was a thud as Naruto fell over from the other side of the door. Her volume had been unexpected; it had caught him off guard. He had had trouble listening in because they were talking in very low voices. That's how he'd expected the conversation to continue. That blast caused him to fall over.

Sakura walked passed Sasuke with a small smile and opened the door enough to stick her head out and order Naruto away with the threat of castration. Naruto was gone from that hall within seconds of the threat being issued. Sakura laughed as she closed the door and locked it again. She turned around only to come face-to-face with Sasuke. She thought that he might make a move now, but he was still waiting for an answer to his previous question.

"…I feel…something…towards Sousuke." Sakura admitted, blushing immediately. "That's why…that's why I kissed him. And he feels the same way. He came onto me first. But trust me; it didn't progress past that kiss. At the time, I didn't know whether or not you loved me, so I did something stupid. But Sousuke is not you, Sasuke. I love you more than I could ever love Sousuke. That's the truth."

Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment, silently thanking Sakura for those words. Although he acknowledged that she did love another man, he also knew that she loved him the most. Now he knew that his love would not be worthless to her.

He opened his eyes again. Sasuke's face came closer and closer to Sakura's, who was up against the door.

And then their lips met.

Sakura's heart accelerated, for it was aflame with the fervor she was feeling. She kissed back with more enthusiasm than she had with Sousuke. Sasuke held strong against her will, causing the kiss to progress from just a lip-lock to a passionate make-out session. Sasuke had his hands in her hair by this time, and Sakura had hers on his arms.

Somehow, they managed to break apart, gasping for air. Perhaps that was why they separated. If there was no need to breathe, they might have remained like that forever. But they were human, and air was essential to life.

"Well…_that _was unexpected…" Sakura managed to muster in a low voice. "…And it was…wonderful…much better than any other kiss I've ever had…"

"…Good to hear…" Sasuke gasped breathlessly, quickly regaining his breath.

He smiled at her warmly, and she returned it with a warm, excited smile. He had managed to fulfill one of her dreams for the future, but he wouldn't be able to do it again for slightly over a month. He told her that, and her face fell.

"It's only because everyone still thinks I'm a girl. The chances of us being caught and you being persecuted are too high. I can't have that happen to you, Sakura-chan." Sasuke explained. "I'm upset about this, too."

"…I understand, Sasuke-kun." Sakura murmured. "…What I don't understand is why you have to do this. I mean, that girl…Shibiki…she doesn't really matter, does she? She's a dead ninja from this village, so why do you want to fulfill this stupid jutsu for her? Why do you feel the need to continue this jutsu?"

"…To be completely honest with you, I don't really know. But I promised to do this stupid genjutsu for three months, and I never go back on my word."

"All right, Sasuke Uchiha. Since you 'never go back on your word,' will you promise to never hurt me again for any reason unless our lives depend on it, and that you will love me unconditionally forever unless something happens that makes you hate me?"

"…Yes…"

"Okay, then. You may continue your stupid genjutsu for the rest of the time needed. And I'll continue to play along."

"What? If I hadn't promised what you said, would you have forbidden me to maintain this jutsu?"

"Yes. But it doesn't matter now, because you made the promise. So, until next month, I suppose this is the obstacle in our relationship. Until then, I will love you, Sasuke."

"…And I'll love you, Sakura."

* * *

Later that night, when everyone was supposed to be sleeping, Sasuke was reading Koi's journal again. Kakashi had read them all, and like he had said earlier, he returned the journals to the Uchiha before nightfall. Somehow, Sasuke had gathered up enough courage to read about Koi's abusive treatment, something that he couldn't stand although he was a very tough ninja. But somehow he managed to open up to the page after Koi's rape account, and then read on.

_September 16_

_How lucky I am that Teppei is going away on a C-ranked mission for a couple of days! Now I will be free from his torment for a few days. He still expects me to complete the daily chores while he's gone, and he's set up small cameras all over the house to monitor me, but cameras are easily disabled without me being caught._

_Akira wants to kill Teppei. Yes, I told her what he did to me. She was most pissed to find out exactly how disgusting that man is. She swears she and her other friends will kill him when he returns from his mission, and they're plotting a painful death for him. I hate him, too, but I do not have the strength to go against him. With the damage he's done to me in the mind and body, I'll be struck with fear the moment I see him when I go to kill him. I'll....leave it up to Akira and her other friends, I suppose._

_::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::_

_Why? Why couldn't he just leave without hurting me? All I did was…wish him a successful mission, and he blew up. He slapped me across the face…and cursed at me. _

"_I'm the best ninja in da village, Bitch!" he said. "I always have a successful mission! Don't cha wish me something ya know I'll already do! I'm the best! And if ya don't think so, then I'll just have to knock some sense into ya dumb woman brain, now won't I?"_

_And he beat me senselessly until I was on the ground and bleeding, bruised, and severely injured. Yes, he slapped me. Yes, he punched me. Yes, he threw me against the wall. Yes, he kicked me. Yes, he stomped on me. And yes, he even cut me several times with a kunai knife in his attempt to…"knock some sense into my dumb woman brain." None of the cuts were fatal, but they were painful, nonetheless. After this, Teppei finally left for that mission, leaving me weak and alone in that house. I didn't know what to do. I was lost, alone, and hurt beyond what I thought anyone could repair. But I didn't want to be in that damned house anymore. So I disabled the cameras he thought he'd concealed cleverly…_

_And I left._

_I ran and I ran until that hellhole was just a black, bleak dot in the backcountry, and I could hardly turn back and get there before dark. I hadn't expected to run into anyone I knew, although I got many strange glances from the villagers and fellow ninja who saw me. But I…I did run into someone I knew…someone who I knew very well._

_Shinpei._

_I ran right into him, unaware that he was in my path until it was too late to do anything. I accidentally knocked him down, and I fell with him. We hit the ground with a thud, but it didn't hurt as much as my other injuries._

"…_Sorry…" I had managed to say, my voice very shaky._

"_It's all right. Just watch where you're going next time," Shinpei had muttered monotonously, getting back up and helping me to my feet as well. His icy blue eyes had studied me, and had caught sight of all of my injuries. "What happened to you, if you don't mind me asking?"_

_My eyes had welled up with tears as I remembered the pain I had endured prior to my run-in with Shinpei. "…Teppei…he…beat me…again…"_

"_Again?" Shinpei had raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'again?' "_

_And so I told him about all the horrible things Teppei had done to me. We walked along, talking in low voices so that we would not be overheard by anyone else. Shinpei listened intently, like he really cared about what happened to me. That was something Teppei had never done. I actually felt like I mattered in this world._

"_You should leave him, Koi. You don't deserve this kind of treatment." Shinpei had stated once I had finished my sad tale. "Leave him while he's gone, and when he returns, __**I **__will deal with him myself. Just don't stay with him. You're a lovely young lady with great ninja skills. You don't deserve this at all. Any man who thinks otherwise should be dead."_

_Needless, to say, I was flattered. I had felt my face grow hot at that. I had been too flattered to even speak again right then._

"_I know you're afraid of him. If you want to stay with him because of that, go ahead." Shinpei had stated. Then he had leaned forward and breathed into my ear, "But if you change your mind, you know where to find me. You can always live with me, Koi."_

_After this, I had somehow managed to return here, to the hellhole I was trying to escape. But now my mind is made up. I am going to Shinpei's, but I don't know if I'll ever come back. I guess will find out when I'm done over there._

_::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::_

_September 17_

_Shinpei. He's the best man I've ever known._

_:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::_

_September 18_

_Okay, maybe I should have been clearer on my last entry. Saying that Shinpei is the best man I've ever known is a little broad-subjected. But I'll explain everything right now._

_I went over to his house. He let me in. And he treated me the way a man ought to treat a woman. He gave me a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen to all my worries and troubles. He was there for me, and offered answers to my troubling questions. In the one day that I actually got to know him, he proved to be better than Teppei could ever be. And I fell in love with Shinpei._

_Need I say what I did on the night of the sixteenth with Shinpei?_

_That was my first time without being forced to do it._

_And it was…wonderful._

Sasuke cringed after reading that. He didn't really need to know about Koi's intimate relationships. He was only twelve, after all. That's too young for him to be thinking about stuff like that. But, despite being disgusted, Sasuke continued on.

_October 5_

_At the end of last month, I found out some fantastic news…and some dreadful news. The good news is…Akira and her 'friends' took care of Teppei. Unfortunately, they didn't kill him, for that would have been a major crime against our village. But they did beat him up pretty bad, and threatened to do worse if he ever touched me inappropriately again. Since then, he's been jumpy and frantic and nicer to me, which I prefer. But the dreadful news…_

_I'm pregnant._

_I'm fifteen, and I'm pregnant._

_And I don't know who the father is._

_It could be Shinpei, the new love of my life. Or it could be Teppei, the man who once beat me up and raped me but is changing._

_But I don't know which one of them is my baby's father._

_Akira and her sister Shibiki are allowing me to move in, just in case Teppei ever loses control again. They promise to help me raise my child, regardless of who the father is. I appreciate their kindness, and now they're like family to me. It seems things have been going good for me since the day Teppei left for that C-ranked mission in September…The pregnancy is the only slightly bad thing that has happened to me in a while. Hallelujah! Let the good times roll!_

Sasuke smiled as he closed the journal. It was good to know that good things started happening to Koi before she disappeared.

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The next day, Kakashi awoke Squad 7 early in the morning (about 5 AM) and told them to be ready to go at about 6 AM. Wearily, the young Genins got ready for whatever the hell Kakashi had in store for their day, not even stopping to eat breakfast. Well, Naruto was the only one to eat breakfast, but he had to do it in a hurry.

"Where are we going?" Sakura asked, stifling a yawn as Squad 7 walked out of Takashi's place exactly a 6. "It's a little early to be up and wandering the village, don't you think?"

"Trust me. The sooner we get this over with, the better." Kakashi muttered, glancing around the dark streets. "Where we're going is in regards to our mission. It'll help us find Kenji Nakata so that we can end his pathetic life and he'll never hassle anyone again."

"Are we going to that address Sasuke found in Shibiki's journal, or are we meeting with someone who can lead us to him?" Naruto inquired.

"…A combination of the two. We're meeting with a person who can confirm Kenji's address and give us information about this man." Kakashi replied. "We need to know an estimate about how many ninja he has employed under him, what kind of weapons they have, what kind of jutsu they do…Stuff like that will assist us in developing a logical assassination strategy."

"…This person we're meeting…He's an insider from our village, isn't he?" Sasuke wanted to know.

"…Yes. But this ninja has recently had to leave Kenji's employment behind due to injuries from a mission this ninja was forced to carry out." Kakashi answered. "And it's not a he. The insider's a she."

"That makes sense. Women _do _have the upper hand when it comes to infiltrating major security corps and busting huge crime chains. They're accepted much easier than men." Sakura stated.

"Why's that?" Naruto asked, clueless.

Sakura rolled her eyes. _He really is an idiot,_ she thought. "Most things are run by guys. Guys like women for a couple of reasons. Their breasts and their ass. That's why women can easily infiltrate those things I mentioned earlier."

"Oh! Now I see." Naruto said, smiling. "So Sasuke could break into Kenji's gang without much trouble, now that he's a girl, right? She has huge artificial boobs, too, so that should get her inside quickly, right?"

A nerve throbbed in both Sasuke and Sakura's foreheads. Naruto's foolish smile faded into a stupid grin and then into a worried frown. He gulped under their death glares, looking ready to run if they began to advance on him. Luckily, Kakashi saved him the trouble from getting hurt.

"Knock it off, you three. We have to be serious from here on out." Kakashi remarked, glaring at each one of them with his one visible eye. "No more cracks about Sasuke's girly looks and no more glaring at each other. I want my squad to look professional to this spy, and not like a bunch of little kids who were lucky enough to become ninja. This lady is very important to the success of our mission. Displease her, and we might fail the entire mission because of it. So you'd better be on your best behavior, or else. Got it?"

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura and Naruto grumbled. Sasuke, of course, remained respectively silent.

"Good. We're at the place."

They stood outside an ordinary-looking building. Nothing special about it. In fact, it was a little bit dilapidated. But the Genins trusted Kakashi's judgment, and so they entered the building to meet the mysterious spy from Konoha.

It was almost completely dark within the rundown edifice (building). Only one small light illuminated the area, and it was in the far right corner of the building, at a table where a mysterious figure sat. Squad 7 made their way through almost complete darkness over to the figure enshrouded in obscurity. As soon as they reached her, Naruto and Kakashi couldn't stop staring. Sasuke somehow managed to control himself so he wouldn't be like those two. And Sakura was all but jealous.

The lady who was a spy from Konoha was highly beautiful. She had long russet hair that went halfway down her back, sky blue eyes, tanned skin (from training out-of-doors a lot), and no visible flaws on her face. She wore a showy black leather shirt, tight black leather shorts, knee-high black leather boots, a black Stone forehead protector around her thin-ish waist, and black gloves that reached her elbows. One of her arms was in a sling, proving to be the injury Kakashi had spoken of. But none of these was the reason why Naruto and Kakashi were staring and Sasuke was fighting to keep from staring and Sakura was jealous.

The spy was very buxom and had wide hips, something guys like in a woman.

"Would you guys please stop staring? It's rude, and I don't appreciate it very much." the spy said before drinking a cup of sake.

"Oh…uh, sorry." Kakashi apologized, rubbing the back of his neck with one had as his visible eye became an upside down U. "Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura…take a seat."

Squad 7 sat in the chairs on the other side of table. Even Kakashi sat down, which he usually didn't. He usually remained standing during things like this, but it seemed they were under different circumstances now.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura…Allow me to introduce you to Sango Sasaki. She's a member of the ANBU Assassination Ops (yeah, I made that up), and she's only 20. Not bad for her age." Kakashi told his students, probably smiling under his mask.

"Yeah, yeah. You don't need to make me sound like a goddess, Kakashi Hatake." Sango muttered, pouring more sake into her cup. "I'm not that great. The only reason I can easily get into secret societies is because of my looks. I'm overqualified for my job because of my physical appearance. Of course, it helps to have some ninja skills and be a Jounin, but even if I wasn't that the ANBU would've still taken me in."

"If you were a Genin and looked like that, I'd take you in if I were part of the ANBU." Naruto stated, grinning foolishly.

Sango stared at Naruto intensely. "Seems you have a pervert on your team, Kakashi."

"…Naruto's not just a pervert. He's the number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja to graduate his year. And I was unlucky enough to be stuck with him as my student." Kakashi grumbled, glaring at Naruto.

"I'm sorry about your knucklehead, Kakashi. But we did not come here to exchange stories, did we? You want to know where the blackmailing businessman Kenji Nakata is, do you not?" Sango inquired, drinking her sake.

"Yes, that's right. We have a mission to assassinate him, and it would really speed the process along if you could help us locate him, and give us inside information about his hired ninja." Kakashi replied, hands folded on the table in front of him. "We have a possible address, but who knows if it's the real deal."

"Let me see it." Sango muttered, extending her hand towards him.

Kakashi pulled out a slip of paper in which he had written down the address which had been in Shibiki's journal. He handed it over to Sango, who read over it quickly with careful eyes.

"…Yeah. This is the place…where his day business is run. Underground, below this address, you'll find the real place you're looking for." Sango said, giving the paper back. "All you need to do to get down there is tell Kora, his secretary, that you know Ryuta. That's the top ninja that Kenji has in his employment. Ryuta also gets people interested in being employed by the businessman. Then, when you get underground, they put you through a series of tests. You know, to see whether you're a worthy hired assassin. You fail, you die. Once you're in, then you can go on with your mission."

"But doesn't he hire outside ninja to do dirty work for him as well?" Sasuke wanted to know, remembering Shibiki and her squad.

"…Occasionally. But those people are mostly left out of the loop." Sango answered, looking intently at Sasuke. "You're an Uchiha, right? The only survivor of the Massacre? I thought you were a boy."

"…Then you were mistaken." Kakashi stated before Naruto could say anything. "But let's get back on subject. How many ninjas does Kenji have under his employment? What kind of weapons do they carry? What sort of jutsu do they perform? And are all these ninja from the Stone village, or are some from other villages?"

Sango sighed. "You really like to stick to a subject." She looked right at Kakashi. "I've been out of there for a couple of months now, so my information isn't up-to-date. So don't blame me if you go in there and get yourself killed. But I'll tell you everything I do know, and hopefully it will help you and our village, okay?

"Kenji has about 5,000 ninja under his employment, all from various villages. But his name isn't well-known outside of this village, for he doesn't want anyone of very high rank to know who he is and what he's up to. Their weaponry ranges from kunai knives to shuriken to full-blown swords to bombs. These ninja are fully armed. And their jutsu is second to none. I tell ya, this Kenji knows who to hire. I've hardly seen such a strong group of ninja in large numbers anywhere in the country. You've sure picked a hard mission, Kakashi, for you and your Genins."

"Hey! We'll take down Kenji. Just because we're Genins doesn't mean we aren't brawny or intelligent." Sakura remarked, glaring at Sango. "Sasuke was the top student at the Academy, and that title continues to follow her now. I'm the most cunning of the graduating students. Kakashi is one of the best Jounins in our village. And even Naruto has his moments of strength and cleverness. We'll manage to bring down Kenji, you'll see. We'll do it, or we'll die trying."

Sango's gaze now fell upon Sakura. Sakura stared back furiously, daring the spy to make a snappy remark about her. But the woman remained silent as she looked at Sakura, and her face portrayed no thought or emotion. This made Sakura a little uncomfortable.

"…So you think that your squad can take down a man like Kenji?" Sango asked, resting her chin upon her hands as she continued to stare at Sakura.

"Yes ma'am." Sakura replied, not letting up for a second.

"…Do you know how many ninja have tried that? Dozens upon dozens. And many were of higher rank than you. Who cares if Sasuke is the top student or if you are the smartest or if Naruto has his moments? You three are weak little Genins. Don't expect to come out of this mission alive, little girl. You and your comrades are doomed."

Sakura gulped, but her eyes showed no fear. "…Now, you see, that's where you're wrong. We aren't doomed. We'll make it through this. Do you want to know why?"

Sango sighed. "Sure. Let's hear these 'things' that'll make you more likely to 'succeed.'"

"Don't mock me!" Sakura hissed. Then she calmed down. "Squad 7 has taken down far more powerful enemies than a measly businessman and his ninja. For example, we helped with the take-down of Gato, the number one businessman in Japan. And we also defeated Doto and his Snow ninja, and they had special chakra armor that made them stronger than ordinary ninja. Need I bring up that Rain ninja who had the Sword of Thunder Spirit that Naruto defeated after Sasuke cracked the sword? And let's not forget those damned Sound nins we fought in the Chuunin exams. We beat all these people…who were said to be impossible to beat…and we are only _Genins_. So don't you come down on us and say we're going to die on this mission. You're very wrong there."

"…So, you've taken out some strong ninja. But even the strongest of them fall short to the skill of Kenji's hired assassins. You'll have to do better than that." Sango muttered.

"Fine! How about how Naruto has mastered the Rasengan, Sasuke has Sharingan and mastered the Chidori, and Kakashi possesses both Sharingan and superior ninja skills?! Does that too dull in comparison to Kenji's ninja's skills?!" Sakura exclaimed, fed up with how Sango was criticizing everything she said. "Have you even fought these men before?! Who are you to judge how great these ninja are if you haven't?!"

"Sakura!" Kakashi growled, causing her to fall silent. "You will keep silent and not speak again unless Sango directly addresses you! I do not want to hear any more of your complaining! Is that clear?!"

"…Yes, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura whispered, hanging her head in shame.

"…Don't be too hard on the girl, Kakashi. She has a point." Sango remarked, looking down at her empty cup. "…I…I never did fight any of these ninja that I claim to be all high and mighty and impossible to beat. The only ninja under Kenji's employment that I had to fight are now dead. Who am I to judge how great these ninja are if I haven't fought them? Heh…all I'm doing is praising the enemy from what I've seen them do. But, I'll admit, there have been times when I thought that they made mistakes and I could have taken them out because of them. These ninja are not _invincible_, but they are very tough. Hardly any of them have died in battle. So, Sakura, if your squad is as great as you claim them to be…well, perhaps we'll see a miracle someday soon."

Sakura gave a small smile at that. _Okay, so maybe she's not that bad. But I still don't like her to much,_ she thought.

"You bet! We'll take care of this Kenji Nakata! No sweat! Sakura's never wrong, so whatever she says must be true!" Naruto shouted, grinning his stupid grin as he punched the air. "You'll see, Sango! We're Squad 7, and we always do the impossible! Believe it!"

"Naruto! Knock it off!" Sakura reprimanded, glaring at him. _He just had to do that, didn't he?! Now Sango's gonna think we're just dumb children who don't know danger when it stares us in the face,_ she thought.

_**CHA!!! NARUTO'S SUCH A JACKASS!!! WHY DID I HAVE TO GET STUCK WITH HIM ON MY SQUAD?!!! HE'S SO IMMATURE AND HE'S SURE TO RUIN THINGS FOR US OVER AND OVER!!! GRRR!!! I HAVE THE WORST LUCK IN THE WORLD!!! CHA!!!**_ Inner Sakura screamed.

"…So you say, so you say." Sango said, staring into the distance. "…Since you guys have so much confidence in your squad ability to accomplish this mission without casualties, I'll be willing to help you out. And I don't mean by just giving you information. When this damned arm heals the rest of the way, I'll assist you in finding Kenji, killing him, and fighting his ninja. That won't be too much of a hassle, will it, Kakashi?"

"No…of course not. We'll need as much help as we can get." Kakashi replied.

"Good. Then I'll meet you outside that address at three this afternoon. Don't be late." Sango stated.

"So soon?" Kakashi seemed surprised.

"Well, you want to return to Konoha ASAP, right? The sooner, the better." Sango explained. "We'd go right now, but I have to go visit one of the village's healers before I could even think about going back to Kenji's and fighting alongside you guys. I mean, to go into a battle with a broken arm is like suicide. I have to be prepared. Besides, once my cover's blown, I won't be able to stay here anymore. I can finally return home after being gone for two whole years. What a joy that'll be."

"Indeed. Three o' clock it is. See you then."

* * *

"You know, for a girl who's totally hot, Sango is totally unpleasant!" Naruto grumbled once they were back at Takashi's place. "I mean, she acts like she knows everything about everything, and she has to insult others to prove her point! What kind of person does that?!"

"…Sango has always been a little…inconsiderate…But once you get to know her, she's all right." Kakashi told him. "She's kinda like you, Naruto. No parents, no siblings…an orphan. Well, I guess that makes her like Sasuke, too."

"Were her parents killed while battling Kyuubi twelve years ago?" Sakura inquired. "That's how Iruka became an orphan. Surely her entire family wasn't massacred like Sasuke's, right?"

"…Her parents died battling Kyuubi twelve years ago. Sango was only eight at the time." Kakashi said. "Her parents, Jun and Takehiko Sasaki, were once members of the Fourth Hokage's original squad. And, when he was moving through the ranks, they began to work directly for him. They were his most trusted ninja. At least, that's what people say."

"Wow…So Sango's parents knew Lord Fourth?" Naruto was awestruck.

"Sango knew him, too. Her parents let him become the godfather when she was born." Kakashi smiled, his eye becoming an upside down U. "She and he were close. Some people had mistaken him for her uncle, even though they looked nothing alike. Lord Fourth even taught her a few jutsu. Nothing too advanced for an Academy student, of course, but jutsu that the other children in her class could only dream about performing. It was said that this special training helped her to graduate from the Academy when she was seven, which is pretty young to be becoming a Genin."

"With closeness like that, I can imagine how she felt when the Lord Fourth died." Sakura whispered. "And her own parents died that same night…How awful…"

"Graduating that early from the Academy gave her a big head! I still don't like her! Not one bit! Even if she knew the Fourth Hokage, she ain't so special!" Naruto claimed.

"…After her parents and the Fourth Hokage passed away, Sango dedicated her time to becoming as strong as she possibly could. She studied all scrolls, mastered every jutsu in this village, learned every battle technique that she came across…The Chuunin and Jounin exams were child's play to her. And she came across something that made her even stronger than perhaps even me."

"What?" both Sakura and Naruto wanted to know.

"…While traveling through an allied land, she found a demon attacking a small village. She fought it off and stopped it from destroying the village…by sealing it within herself. The demon gave her a boost of chakra, strength, intelligence, speed…everything a ninja could ever want."

"A demon? What kind of demon?" Naruto asked, Kyuubi on his mind. "And can't demons only be sealed in newborns? I heard that somewhere, and I wanna know if it's true!"

"Powerful, multi-tailed demons have to be sealed in newborns, it's true. But the demon that Sango sealed in herself was not like those tailed demons we always hear about. This demon was a minor tiger demon, if you'd believe. Not too powerful compared to even the Shukaku, the weakest of the tailed demons. So she was an exception to that rule."

"Does her demon have a name? I mean, Shukaku doesn't have anything to do with being one-tailed. Ichibi means one tail, so Shukaku must be a name." Sakura pointed out. "So does Sango's tiger demon have a name, too?"

"Of course. Its name is Mika."

"Mika? That sounds like a girl name." Naruto muttered, crossing his arms. "But you called the demon an 'it,' so who knows?"

"Indeed. In the case of demons, it's hard to determine gender. No one wants to get close enough to find out what exactly a demon is. But I believe it is a female demon."

"So does she want to be the next Hokage, seeing as she's very skilled and could probably kick Granny Tsunade's butt?" Naruto demanded to know.

"No. She thinks that job is too boring and too much work. She prefers being out of the village and not cooped within doors for most of the day. You have no competition, Naruto, for the spot of the next Hokage. Not from Sango, at least."

Sasuke stood up suddenly, gaining the glances of the others. He had been so silent that they hadn't really paid attention to him, but now the tides had turned. He headed for the door.

"Sasuke? Where are you going?" Sakura inquired, watching after him.

He stopped for a moment, and looked over his shoulder at her. "I'm going for a walk. But don't worry. I'll be back in time for the meeting with Sango."

And then he left.

* * *

Sasuke walked alone through the streets of the Stone village. They were crowded with people doing their business, whether it be buying, selling, or chatting. Young children ran around, playing their childish games. Some older children were training, perhaps preparing for the graduation exams in their Academy. Mothers on the streets holding a child softly cooed to them in the motherly fashion, making their way through the village to do what they had set out to do.

He could remember when he was as young as those young children playing their childish games. How naïve and careless he had been. He thought nothing bad could happen to him or his family, the elite Uchiha clan. How wrong he had been. At the time, he had been in the Academy, trying to match his elder brother Itachi's skills. And then that bastard had massacred the entire Uchiha clan just to 'measure his capacity.' That had ruined Sasuke's life and stolen away his childhood when he was only seven. He hardly had the chance that those little children were having right now.

"Hey! Give it back, Fugaku!" one of the little children cried when an older kid stole the ball the children had been playing with. "That's ours!"

"Not anymore. It's mine." the kid whose name was Fugaku stated, holding it just out of reach of the little children. "Now go away before I am tempted to hurt you, runt."

"No fair! That was my only ball!" the little child exclaimed, starting to cry. She rammed her fists into Fugaku's stomach in an effort to hurt him.

"Get away from me, crybaby!" Fugaku yelled, kicking the kid backwards with too much force and making the kid fall onto her back. "You can't hurt a ninja, you little brat! For your stupid antics, I ought to teach you a lesson right now, Yura. In fact, that's what I'm gonna do!"

Fugaku threw the ball with all his might over the little children's heads. Sasuke just happened to be in that direction, and he caught it before it could go too far. Fugaku didn't notice him, but some of the young children did. He walked by them and right towards the bully who was now holding little Yura by the front of her shirt and drawing back his fist, preparing to hit the young girl with all the force he could. Sasuke threw that ball, and it hit Fugaku right in the face. The bully dropped Yura and fell to the ground, for Sasuke threw that ball with a lot of force. The ball rebounded, and the Uchiha caught it and Yura at the same time. He then put the girl on the ground.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

Yura nodded. "Thank you, miss. I thought he was gonna hurt me pretty bad."

"He won't hurt you as long as I'm around." Sasuke told her, handing the ball back to her. "I promise you that."

"Hey! Who do you think you are?! I was gonna teach that little punk a lesson for messin' with a ninja!" Fugaku shouted, now back on his feet and pointing at Sasuke. "Maybe I ought to teach you a lesson, bitch!"

The young children gasped when they heard the bad word. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, and he turned around to face the bully of children much younger than him.

"Watch your mouth when you're around children, Fugaku. And stop bullying them…or I'll have to teach _you _a lesson." Sasuke remarked, cracking his knuckles. "For you see, you're not the only ninja around here. I could beat you in two minutes flat."

Fugaku must have found that humorous, for he started guffawing. "_You_?! Beat _me_?! Maybe in _your_ dreams! You're just a girl, weak, puny, and insignificant! I am a boy, strong, talented, and intelligent! I could beat you in five seconds flat and have you begging for mercy!"

"Let's see who's right." Sasuke muttered. "Yura, your friends and you need to back away. This is going to be dangerous, and I don't want you to get hurt during this fight."

"All right." Yura agreed. "Where would you like us to go while you fight Fugaku?"

Sasuke looked around for a safe spot that Yura and her friends could hang out. "Over there, near the trees. That's a safe distance, I believe."

Yura nodded. "All right, miss. Good luck." Then she turned to her friends. "Come on, guys! We need to go over there so we don't get hurt!"

Once the young children were where Sasuke had directed them to go, Fugaku charged at the Uchiha. Sasuke used his inhuman speed to get behind the bully, and began doing the Lion's Barrage on the impudent diminutive ninja. He threw in some extra, unnecessary punches to punish the bully even more. And, two minutes after the fight had begun, Fugaku was down for the count.

Yura and her friends cheered when Fugaku fell to the ground, defeated. He was barely conscious as he stared up at the victorious Sasuke Uchiha. He was amazed that a 'girl' had beaten him so quickly.

"…Wh-who…are you…?" Fugaku managed to muster.

"…Koi. Koi Otani." Sasuke replied, using his alias because he knew better than to give his real name. "And the next time I catch you bullying children, I won't be so gentle."

"…Wh-why…do you care so much…about them?"

"…Because they're still young. They deserve to have fun and enjoy life before the horrors of it take their childhood from them. When they grow up, when they have become adolescence…then they can stick up for themselves and beat you themselves. They don't need to grow up right now. That's the last thing children need. For you see, childhood is the one thing that keeps children from experiencing danger. You don't need to steal that from them just because you've been exposed to danger. That's why I care so much about them."

And then Fugaku slipped into unconsciousness. Sasuke would have just left him lying on the ground, but he was no longer as cold-hearted as before. Instead, he picked the dumb bully up and laid him on a nearby bench. That way, no one would step on him or point and laugh. Yura watched in surprise while her friends played without her.

"…So you're name is Koi, huh? Why are you being nice to mean old Fugaku? He wanted to hurt you." Yura pointed out. "He called you a bad word and weak and puny and insignificant. But you still take him off the ground. Why don't you just leave him on the ground? That's what any other Stone nin would have done."

"I'm not any other Stone nin. I'm Koi, and no one else." Sasuke explained, ruffling Yura's hair playfully. "One day, when you're a little older, you'll understand. Right now, you should go play with your friends."

"Okay, Koi-chan!" Yura said in a sing-song voice, taking off towards her friends. "Some day when I'm older, I wanna be just like you! Goodbye, Koi-chan!"

Sasuke couldn't help but smile at that. No one had ever really admired him before because of his cold-hearted attitude. Being admired by a sensei was completely different than being admired by a small child.

"…Hello, Koi."

Sasuke's smile faded as soon as he heard that voice. Slowly, he turned around to face the young Jounin who had addressed him by his alias.

"What do you want, Sousuke?" Sasuke asked in a bored tone, crossing his arms.

"Nothing. I just wanted to comment on that battle you just had with Fugaku." Sousuke answered casually. "Pretty impressive. That idiot always bullies the young ones, and no one could stop him before, no matter how much they beat him up. Even though he's only a Genin, he thinks he's one of the best ninja in the world. But I suppose you just proved him wrong. A girl's never fought him before, so he thought they were weak. Guess he should watch his tongue from now on, with you prowling the streets after him."

"…Is that all you came to bug me about?" Sasuke just wanted Sousuke to leave. Why was he taking so long to do so?

"No. I wanted to bring up that jutsu you used." Sousuke said. "Lion's Barrage, right? That's not a taijutsu native to our village. In fact, it's a taijutsu…from the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

"…So? What are you implying, Sousuke?" Sasuke inquired, glaring at him.

"Calm down. The children don't know about that taijutsu, and Fugaku is so stupid he wouldn't recognize a foreign jutsu if it was labeled. No one else but me knows that you and those with you are from Konoha. You're safe. And I know when to keep my mouth shut." Sousuke assured him. "I wouldn't hurt your friend posing as Akira that way, and I wouldn't hurt her friends, either. You can trust me."

Sasuke wasn't so sure about that. But he had no choice. However, he couldn't help but wonder how Sousuke knew that Squad 7 wasn't really Squad 78. _Did Sakura slip that information when she was with him yesterday? Does he know why we're here, and our true identities? Damn it! It was a mistake to let her be with him for as long as she was! Anything could have happened that could have endangered our mission! Now an enemy knows what village we're from and that we're not really who we say we are! This puts us all in jeopardy!_ Sasuke thought.

"…You probably think that I'm going to tell my superiors about you. And you're also probably wondering how I found out you guys aren't really members of Squad 78." Sousuke remarked, as if he'd read Sasuke's mind. "I won't tell a soul about you or the other three. And your pink-haired friend didn't tell me anything. The little things you guys do that don't match the real people alerted me that you were imposters. But no one else has noticed. And whatever reason you have for impersonating missing Stone ninja, it has to be important. The Leaf and Stone villages are highly unallied, so you guys must be going deep undercover for some important mission. As long as it does no harm to my village, I'll have no reason to report you to my superiors. But in order to be certain that you aren't planning to destroy the Stone village, you're going to have to tell me your mission right now."

Sasuke sighed morosely, knowing that he had no choice but to tell Sousuke. Otherwise, he and the rest of Squad 7 would be executed. "…Our mission is to find and assassinate a blackmailing businessman named Kenji Nakata, a well-known man in the Stone village who is extending his greedy hands into other villages. It is my squad's duty to end his miserable life. That is the only reason we are here at the moment. We're not here to dismantle your precious village."

"…Kenji Nakata, huh? The bastard who ordered his ninja to kill most of our parents because they were ninja who threatened his power." Sousuke murmured, remembering. "If that's why you're here, I'd be glad to help. I'm sure the same would be for Hitomi and Shinpei. Perhaps even Kimura-sensei would help, just as long as they think you're Squad 78. What do you say, 'Koi?' Would you like the assistance of Squad 89?"

"…I'll have to check with Takashi."

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Sasuke returned to Takashi's with Sousuke in tow. He wasn't at all happy that Sousuke might be working with them on their mission, especially since Sakura had feelings towards him. Sasuke was supposed to be with Sakura, not Sousuke. Sasuke wished that Sousuke would just disappear. On the other hand, Squad 7 needed the most help they could get. Having the assistance of another squad and two Jounins would surely be beneficial when it came to the mission.

Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura looked up when Sasuke reentered the house. Obviously, they hadn't expected him to come back so early. And they hadn't expected him to bring a guest back, either.

"Uh…Koi, that was a quick walk. What…what are you doing back so early…and with Sousuke?" Sakura asked, as confused as the other members of her squad.

"…He knows that we're not Squad 78." Sasuke muttered, crossing his arms.

"WHAT?!!!!" Naruto exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "You told him that we're from the Leaf village?!!! Do you want to get us killed or something, you jackass?!!!"

"No…But obviously you do because you keep yelling and someone's sure to hear you." Sasuke grumbled. "I didn't tell him anything. He figured it out on his own…yesterday, when he was with Akira. But I was forced to tell him our mission by the threat of being turned in to the authorities. And he would like to offer his services, along with those of his squad members."

"Akira, you didn't tell him anything, did you?" Kakashi inquired, glancing at Sakura.

"No, Takashi-sensei. Sousuke…well, he…he told me he knew I wasn't Akira…because of the little things we did differently than the real people…" Sakura blushed as she remembered exactly how he'd said it. "…But he…he didn't turn us in…because…well, he…he didn't want to…get rid of me…and besides, he knew we weren't a threat to his village."

"Sir, your students told me nothing personal. Your names are still unknown to me, as well as everything else that ninja are supposed to keep from others." Sousuke said. "All I know is what village you're from and your mission. But I could care less about those things. What is a real interest to me is the mission. If you're planning on taking down Kenji Nakata, you'll need a lot of help. In fact, you'll need all the help you can get. Let my squad assist you in this battle. The others have no idea of your identities, and they'll just think it's just another mission you've been assigned and that they've been assigned to help you. In a way, it works out for both our villages. So what do you say?"

Kakashi seemed to take this into consideration. Sasuke couldn't believe Kakashi was actually considering letting someone, who would on other terms be an enemy, help them on a vital mission. The old Kakashi would have turned this offer down and killed the person who'd offered it. But they were deep in enemy territory, and that had changed the sensei in strange ways.

"…It's true that we'll need as much assistance on this mission as possible. But we already have someone who's going to support us. She's an insider, and probably a little more helpful than you, no offense." Kakashi stated, hands folded in front of him. "I suppose your aid _would_ be welcome. But…we come from two different, unallied villages. How do I know that we can trust you?"

"…I don't know the answer to that question." Sousuke admitted with a rueful smile. "But, let me put it this way. What other choice do you have? My squad is the only other support you and your squad have…Kakashi Hatake."

"How do know our sensei's name?!!!" Naruto demanded, glaring at Sousuke.

"There's only one man in the Village Hidden in the Leaves who keeps his face as hidden as this man. And his existence is well-known. Everyone alive knows of Kakashi, the Copy Ninja." Sousuke remarked. "In fact, there's a pretty big bounty on his head in this village. If someone…say…_told_ someone that he was here, they'd get a large sum of money once he was caught."

"Are you threatening to turn Kakashi in if we don't let you help us?!" Sakura stipulated, dismayed that Sousuke, a man she'd fallen for, would intimidate them like that.

"…Unfortunately…" Sousuke murmured, looking at her remorsefully.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the blonde Stone nin. Sousuke shrugged it off like it was nothing, like the Uchiha didn't matter.

"Kakashi, if he's threatening to reveal you for that damned bounty, we shouldn't let him live. We ought to kill him here and now. Just say the word." Sasuke told him, prepared to reach for his kunai knives if Kakashi instructed him to murder the Stone Jounin.

"…No. Not today, Koi." Kakashi said. "Even though he's blackmailing us, we need the assistance. We can use his squad for now. But if he pulls anymore tricks…" Kakashi looked directly at Sousuke before going on. "…we will kill him on spot. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir." Sousuke replied. "Clear as a bell."

"Meet us with your squad outside Kenji's business at three this afternoon. And don't be late…or else."

Sango, arm healed, was leaning up against the wall of Kenji's business place when Squad 7 showed up with Squad 89 in tow. She raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the sight of the Stone ninjas, but remained silent. Shinpei, Hitomi, and Kimura stared at her when she came into view, but they quickly learned that that wasn't a wise decision. Sousuke didn't even spare a glance at her because he was too busy watching Sakura. That made her uncomfortable, and so she kept her gaze away from him at all times.

"All right. Are you all ready to enter your grave?" Sango wanted to know. "This won't be a picnic. Just getting accepted will be murder. Back out now…if you're too scared."

"No. We're ready." Sakura stated, speaking for all the members of her squad. "But I'm not sure those fools are." She pointed at Squad 89. "They might be too chicken to even face this Ryuta we must tell the secretary about."

"Whatever, Akira." Hitomi muttered, rolling his eyes. "_You_ will be the one jumping into _our_ arms once you see these guys. Just you wait."

"So says the Genin who got scared of Teppei." Sasuke grumbled, crossing his arms.

Hitomi glared at him, but only for a moment. Sango hurried them all along into the building that Kenji conducted his work in, tired of their bickering and wanting to get this over with. Squad 7 remained in the back with her while the Stone ninja hurried along.

"Kakashi, why did you bring those Stone scum here to assist us?" Sango asked in a low voice so she wouldn't be overheard by those she was speaking of.

"I had no choice. One of them knows who I am and threatened to turn me in if I didn't bring his squad along." Kakashi answered.

"He was going to turn you in if you didn't let them join in on your mission? That's kinda a weird blackmail if you ask me. If I were him, I would have just gone for the bounty. Risking my life to take down a blackmailing businessman and not get rewarded for it seems very pointless." Sango murmured.

"I know it's strange. That's why I'm keeping my eye on him."

"Seems you can only watch him with one eye, anyway."

"Ha-ha. Very funny."

"Hey. Which one's Kora?" Hitomi inquired suddenly, silencing them.

There were quite a few people on the first floor of that building. And they all looked like secretaries, and were busy working on various jobs. It would have been very hard to locate Kora…if they didn't have an insider to point her out to them.

"She's over there, the woman with the purple hair." Sango told them, pointing.

An average-sized woman with lavender hair pulled back in a bun and dark brown eyes was sitting at a desk in the far corner, looking through business papers. She wore a tan jacket buttoned over a white blouse, a matching skirt, black stilettos, and black wire-rimmed glasses. Just what any secretary should look like. But she wasn't old at all. In fact, she was quite young.

"That's Kora? Wow. She's beautiful." Hitomi complimented, gaping at her.

"Stop drooling, Hitomi! We must be serious about this!" Shinpei hissed monotonously.

"Shut up and follow my lead." Sango ordered, walking briskly past them and towards Kora's desk. The others followed silently.

"Greetings, Kora." Sango addressed, feigning a smile as the secretary looked up from her work at her. "How are you doing? Is Kenji treating you well? How has this job been going for you since I left due to that damned injury?"

"Sango? Is that really you? Kami, it's been a while since I've seen you." Kora said, standing up and hugging the spy awkwardly. "I'm fine, Kenji's been treating me as well as normal, and work's been fine." That's when she saw the others. "Who are they, and what are they doing here?"

"Oh. Those losers? Well, they're here because Ryuta told them about our job." Sango lied, rolling her eyes for effect after looking at them in disgust. "You know Ryuta. He's always trying to keep our numbers up. But I don't know why he chose these wimps to go through our tests. They'll never survive. Sometimes, I question his judgment of skill, you know? I think he's beginning to lose his touch."

"…Yes. I believe you're right. Most of those are mere Genins. He usually chooses Chuunins and Jounins, if I recall correctly." Kora agreed. "But, seeing as Ryuta recommended them, I'll buzz Kenji and tell him the news."

Kora pushed a button on this piece of machinery, the intercom. Shortly afterwards, an angry voice responded.

"What is it now, Kora?!" the masculine voice demanded gruffly.

"Sir, Sango's here with eight ninja interested in joining your forces." Kora replied, looking anxious and frightened by Kenji's bitterness. "Sango's all healed from her injury and prepared to return to work. Do you want to put these new ones through the tests, sir?"

Silence, and then, "Go ahead. If Sango's recommending them, then they must be good."

"Yes sir. I apologize for bothering you." Kora stated, relieved. "I will bring them down for the tests now, sir. Good day." Then she pressed the button again, ending the transmission. "You guys, follow me. You must go meet Kenji immediately so you can be tested."

"Tested? What do you mean?" Shinpei wanted to know as Kora led them through the busy workplace.

"Kenji tests all ninja who want to work for his 'special causes.'" Kora explained, dodging a couple of her coworkers before going on. "He wants to be sure that he hires the best of the best. Testing them is his way of making sure that they're worthy for the job. If they fail…they die. Pretty much, it's pass the tests or be killed. All of the tests deal with battling a ninja already under the employment of Kenji. And trust me, they'll kill you if you don't kill them. Just going down there is dangerous in itself. You guys will be lucky if you last a minute down there."

Hitomi gulped. "…It's…it's that bad?"

Kora nodded. She now stood in front of an elevator far from the rest of the workplace. She pressed the button on the wall beside it, and the stainless steel doors slid open. Reluctantly, the ninja piled inside with the secretary, prepared to face their worst nightmare. Kora pushed the down key on the inner panel, and the doors slid closed.

_Oh, man. This is so scary! I sure hope we can pass these tests and get this mission over with before it's too late,_ Sakura thought, keeping her cool composure on the outside. Inside, she was wavering with fear.

_I hope this ain't as hard as everyone's making it out to be,_ Naruto thought, shivering.

_...We'll make it through this,_ Sasuke thought uncertainly. _We have to, or else...or else we'll die. I just have to stay calm, and go through these challenges one by one. They're just fighting other ninja. How hard can that be? I shouldn't think that...In the movies, when someone thinks like that, things turn for the worst. I just have to keep calm, and have faith in my comrades. Who cares about those Stone nin? As long as we Leaf nin survive, things we'll go just as planned._

The elevator stopped moving, and the doors slid open once more. Everyone unloaded and walked out into the gloomy sublevel training arena. Several ninja from various villages were training ferociously against each other, some even slaughtering the other. They all stopped when they caught sight of the newbies, the Leaf and Stone ninjas. Sakura, Naruto, Hitomi, and even Shinpei gulped, rethinking coming down here.

"Which one's Kenji?" Naruto whispered to Sakura, his voice a little shaky.

"I don't know. But Kenji's not a ninja, remember? He's a businessman." Sakura whispered back. "Look for someone in a suit. That ought to be him."

"You mean…like him?" Naruto asked, gesturing at an approaching man with his elbow.

The man was slightly shorter than Kora, and he had graying hair with a receding hairline and dark eyes. He wore a black suit with black fancy shoes and a black cane with a large ruby on top. Kenji seemed like a very gluttonous and vain man.

"Ah, sir!" Kora exclaimed, bowing respectively. "Here are the ninja I spoke of!"

"Yes, yes, good! You are dismissed, Kora." Kenji remarked, waving a dismissive hand. As soon as she left, he examined the ninja. "Hmm…these guys seem a little weak…Only Genins?! Kami damn! That Sango must not know strong ninja at all! Where is that little bitch, anyway?!"

"Excuse me?" Sango's expression changed from calm to furious in an instant. "Who's a little bitch?! Certainly you're not speaking about me, you pompous toad, are you?!"

"N-No, of course not! My apologies." Kenji apologized. "B-But these ninja…There's mostly Genins. You know that I usually hire Chuunins and up. Why did you bring these weaklings down here?"

"They show great promise as ninja. They've just been neglected of their rank, that's all." Sango fibbed, glancing over at those she was speaking of. "I _do_ know strong ninja when I see them, sir. I'm no fool like some of those you've hired. Trust me when I say that you'll be interested in a few of them."

"Hmm…Very well. We'll put them all through the tests, I suppose." Kenji muttered. "It's good to have you back, Sango. The boys were beginning to miss you a lot while the girls were sneering over your injuries."

"It's good to be back, sir." Sango said.

"I'll go choose the combators for your eight candidates right now. Three per newbie seems reasonable, does it not? I shall return in a moment."

Kenji walked away towards his hired thugs. Hitomi started shaking in uncontrollable fear once the businessman's back was turned. It was obvious that he had never faced something so dangerous before, and therefore was afraid for his life. Sango rolled her eyes in genuine disgust at his fright.

"Hitomi, would you get a grip? If Kenji sees you trembling like that, he'll just laugh and have you killed on the spot." Shinpei grumbled, irritated by his comrade's terror.

"I…I know…But this is the…the most dangerous thing…I've ever faced in…in my life." Hitomi somehow managed to muster shrilly. "Even the Chuunin exams…weren't this bad."

Sakura actually felt sympathy for the Stone ninja. She felt as if she should do something to cheer him up so he wouldn't be so afraid. Slowly, she came over to his side, not caring about the looks she got from any of the others. Even Sasuke's inquisitive gaze didn't bother her too much.

"Hitomi, you've got to have courage and face this without fear." Sakura told him. "These guys feed off your fear, and then they'll kill you without a problem. You've got to face them without showing your fear, and then they'll have a harder time defeating you." Hitomi continued to tremble. Sakura sighed. "Grow some balls, will ya? Otherwise, you're doomed." A little less trembling. "C'mon, Hitomi. Will you be brave…for me?"

The older Genin forced himself to stop shivering. "Yes. Of course I'll be brave for you."

"Good." Sakura feigned a smile in his direction. "Now we won't have to watch a chicken get roasted."

Hitomi glared at her, but didn't get to make a snappy remark because Kenji showed up. He was followed by twenty-four of his ninja, who appeared very intimidating to the Genins from both the Leaf and Stone villages. But they managed to mask their fear.

"All right! We begin the tests now!" Kenji announced. He pointed at Kimura. "We'll start with you, Jounin! You shall face Hirononbu, Tsutomu, and Asano!"

The three said ninja stepped forward. Kimura stepped forward as well. His first combatant carried two switchblades, was fairly muscular and thin, and appeared as if he had done this thousands of times. The second enemy had a humongous sword and appeared similar to the first. And the third had a battle fan.

"The battle of Kimura versus Hirononbu starts now!" Kenji exclaimed.

The one with the switchblades charged at Kimura. The Stone Jounin pulled out a katana and blocked the blades before they could mar him. Then he knocked Hirononbu back and tossed a bomb at him. The hired assassin did a few quick hand signs and disappeared before the bomb exploded. He reappeared behind Kimura, but the Jounin had expected that. He quickly performed hand signs himself.

_Earth Style: Earthquake Slam!_

The ground beneath their feet began shaking. Hirononbu fought to keep his balance, but he nearly toppled over. Kimura took advantage of this opportunity to do more hand signs.

_Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!_

Kimura disappeared underground. The ground stopped shaking, and Hirononbu regained his balance. He watched the ground carefully, knowing exactly what jutsu the man had done. But knowing a jutsu and avoiding it are two different things. Kimura grabbed his ankle and pulled him underground before he could blink. Only Hirononbu's head remained aboveground. Kimura reappeared in front of the captured assassin, katana at the ready.

And then he killed Hirononbu without hesitation.

"Well done, Kimura." Kenji commented, smiling as he leaned on his cane. "Hirononbu was a great ninja, but you killed him quickly. Besides, he cost too much. Your next opponent is Tsutomu. The battle starts now!"

It carried on like this for quiet some time. Kimura managed to beat his opponents without dying, but he got cut up by Tsutomu and torn to ribbings by Asano. But he passed the tests, nonetheless, and Kenji made sure that one of his medic nin would heal his new 'hired help.' Shinpei was chosen to fight next, and…and he died after killing his last foe. Hitomi suffered a similar fate, but he died during the fight against his second opponent. Sousuke fought and won without serious injury. And then Kakashi was chosen to fight.

"Sasuke…" Sakura whispered, totally terrified after watching Shinpei and Hitomi get slaughtered and Kimura almost die. "I'm scared…I don't want to die…"

"I know. I don't want to end up like Shinpei and Hitomi, either. And I don't want you or the others to end up like them, too." Sasuke whispered back, a little shaken up himself. "But we've got to go through with this, and you know that. We just…have to keep calm…and have faith. I'm sure we'll make it through this. We're better than Shinpei and Hitomi were, anyway."

"…I suppose you're right…" Sakura murmured, still frightened. "I just hope you're right, anyway. I'm…I'm still scared…I don't want to die, or see any of you die, either."

Sakura slipped her hand into Sasuke's in an attempt to find comfort. Sasuke felt her small pallid hand tremble within his, and wished he could make this all go away to make her feel better, to make her feel safe and secure. He didn't want to die and his last memory to be of the fear and grief that Sakura would feel if he died. And he didn't want to watch _any_ of his squad members die on this damned day. But he couldn't change anything. So he squeezed Sakura's hand in a poor attempt to comfort her.

Kakashi managed to kill all of his opponents with only a broken arm and a few scratches as evidence of the battles. Kenji brought in another of his medic nin to heal him and called up three more challengers to fight one of the Leaf Genin.

"You!" Kenji said, pointing at Naruto. "You will fight now against Yujin!"

One of the hired thugs ran at Naruto, who was grinning his infamous grin. _Bring it on,_ the blonde thought before performing hand signs. _Shadow Clone Jutsu!_

About five dozen Narutos appeared in the battle arena. Yujin looked around, a little confused about who was the real kid. Each clone pulled out a few kunai knives and tossed them at the assassin. He deflected them with his sword and did his own jutsu.

_Earth Style: Quicksand Swallow! _(Made up, okay? Sorry…I don't know many real jutsu.)

The ground below Naruto and his clones became quicksand. The clones began to sink under the jutsu. Naruto was forced to undo the jutsu and jump to the safety of the wall and used his chakra to stick to the wall. Then he made more clones that did the exact same thing.

"Ya think a little sand could take _me_ down?! How pathetic, dog!" Naruto shouted as his clones fell into formation to make many Rasengan. Only a few readied themselves to attack Yujin and protect those preparing to do the jutsu. "Get ready to be blown away!"

The several groups of clones began manipulating chakra the way that Jiraiya had taught Naruto to. Yujin charged at the people sticking t the wall, but Naruto's other clones attacked him with kunai and taijutsu. Blue orbs formed in the others' hands (there are a total of five groups, so five Rasengan orbs were made), and they were loaded with chakra. Two members from each group took the orb in their hands and charged with them at Yujin. He was literally blown away…and into pink mist.

"…Well, it seems that not all the Genins from this village are weaklings." Kenji commented. "Not a single injury on this little one here while those other two buffoons were very well injured by this time. I am impressed. But let's see if you can keep it that way, young one."

Naruto fought the other two without dying. However, he was badly injured during his last battle. His arms and legs were shredded, and he was bleeding heavily from his injuries. But he had managed to kill his opponents and pass the tests. But his life was slipping away. Kenji ordered the best of his medic nins to get to work repairing him immediately.

"…S-S-Sasuke…" Sakura sobbed as she watched some of Kenji's ninja carry Naruto away. "…D-Do you t-think that…Naruto is…"

"…No…I…I…don't think he's going to…" Sasuke trailed off, for it was hard to be strong when he saw his comrade dying in front of him. "…We need to keep calm and stop showing our emotions before Kenji notices. I know it'll be hard, but you need to be brave, Sakura. Do it for me, okay?"

Sakura swallowed hard and gave a small nod. Her face slowly became emotionless, a mirror image of Sasuke's face on a daily basis. Sasuke let out a sigh of relief, for seeing Sakura cry made it hard for him to remain calm and unemotional.

"All right, all right! It seems we have two baby birds left to test!" Kenji remarked, smirking as he looked upon Sakura and Sasuke. He leaned heavily on his cane. "Let's test the pink-haired one first. She seems like a strong one who will provide us some entertainment. Hehehe…That is, at least, if she manages to survive her opponents that I've picked out for her! Ayame, Mai, and Katsuya! Come forward!"

A woman with bright red hair pulled back in a ponytail and carrying nunchakus stepped forward. A blonde woman with her hair hanging loosely and carrying a staff fell in step beside her. A lady with dark blue hair pulled back in a long braid and carrying two daggers walked beside her. They were all taller and more muscular than Sakura, wore outfits similar to Sango's, and intimidated Sakura. But she would have to swallow her fear and face these tests head-on. As is the way of the kunoichi and shinobi.

"What, my good lady, is your name? I need to know the name of the Genin that dared face these kunoichi." Kenji said before chuckling.

"…My name…is Sakura. Sakura Haruno." Sakura told him, no longer caring about hiding her identity. Kenji hired ninja from several villages. The Leaf village obviously had some fleers who came here. "And I won't lose to these people. You just watch me, Kenji Nakata, sir. They will all fall."

At that, the women giggled insultingly. Sakura glared at them, but now remained silent.

"Well, Sakura, we'll just see where your tenacity gets you." Kenji muttered. "The battle between Sakura and Ayame starts now!"

The red-haired woman charged at Sakura. The pink-haired kunoichi managed to pull herself away from Sasuke and focused chakra to the bottom of her feet. She jumped high in the air to avoid Ayame's attack. Sasuke also had to move out of the way to avoid being hit. Then she stuck herself to the ceiling and ran around, knowing fairly well that a kunoichi spoke highly of by Kenji wouldn't stop for something like that. In fact, Ayame copied her. She was now chasing Sakura, and gaining on her.

Sakura flipped off the ceiling and found a very heavy object she could use against Ayame. She used her inhuman strength to pick it off of the ground. It was a heavy chest full of weapons. She somehow managed to lift it without much trouble. Ayame stopped for a moment, anticipating Sakura's next move. The pink-haired kunoichi tossed the chest at her, but she dodged it with ease. Unfortunately, she did not notice that the top was open on the chest, and that all the weapons were flying at her. Ayame had to move quickly to dodge as many weapons as she could, and still she couldn't dodge all of them. Several embedded themselves in Ayame's torso, and yet none delivered fatal blows. But Sakura would not be discouraged. She picked a staff off of the ground and charged at the injured Ayame.

_**CHA!!! DIE!!! YOU ARE NO MATCH FOR THE GREAT SAKURA HARUNO, KUNOICHI OF THE LEAF VILLAGE!!! YOU'RE JUST A HOOKER NINJA AND THAT'S WHY KENJI KEPT YOU AROUND!!! CHA!!!**_ Inner Sakura yelled.

Ayame fell backwards when Sakura pushed her down, but used her nunchakus to push against the force Sakura was exerting with the staff. Her strength was failing her, and the staff was coming closer to her body.

"You don't want to kill me." Ayame grumbled through clenched teeth.

"Yes I do." Sakura muttered through clenched teeth. "I have to in order to be accepted."

"But you don't want to kill me. I can see it in your eyes." Ayame remarked, still struggling and starting to fail even more. "You're a weak little Genin who has hardly killed anyone. You don't want to kill me…So…I'll kill you!"

She pushed Sakura off of her and jumped to her feet. Sakura got to her feet just as quickly. The staff she now wielded was used to block all attacks Ayame even thought of using quicker than she could deliver them. Then she used it to knock Ayame's feet from under her. Ayame fell on her back, and Sakura held the staff to her throat as she pulled out a kunai knife.

"You can't kill me…" Sakura stated breathlessly. "So…I'll kill you…and free you from this entrapment. And I want to kill you. You insulted my skills, Ayame."

And then she tossed the kunai knife into Ayame's heart, killing her instantly.

Her other two combatants gasped in horror when Sakura killed their friend. Even Sango was shocked. Sasuke just gaped at Sakura in surprise.

_She killed that ninja without using a single jutsu. And she didn't get injured at all. Ayame didn't even scratch her. Damn...Sakura, you're amazing,_ Sasuke thought. _I just hope you can do that against the other two, and that I can do just as well as you have done._

"…Well, _that_ was an unexpected ending." Kenji complimented. "Well done, Sakura Haruno. Let's see if you can keep up the good work. Ayame was strong, but Mai and Katsuya are much stronger! Mai! Prepare to fight! The battle starts now!"

The blonde woman with the staff charged at Sakura. The pink-haired kunoichi tossed aside her staff and gathered chakra in her right fist. It glowed green, visible to all eyes, but it was no healing chakra (usually in the show, green chakra is used by medic ninja, so that's why I said it wasn't healing chakra). It was meant to do some serious damage. Mai came closer and closer. And then she raised her staff to hit Sakura down when the Genin was only a few inches from her.

But Sakura didn't get injured from that. She punched Mai right in the stomach with her chakra-fueled fist of fury. The hired assassin staggered backwards after reaching the blow and dropped her staff. She fell to her knees. Blood began spilling from her mouth as she coughed, for Sakura had caused her to bleed internally. Sakura grabbed another kunai knife and approached the fairly injured Mai.

And she killed her as well.

"…Impressive. Most impressive." Kenji murmured under his breath as Sakura approached Sasuke and Sango.

"How are you doing, Sakura? How are you holding out?" Sango inquired, looking concerned as she observed the pink-haired kunoichi.

"…What do you think? I'm not okay! And I'm not holding out very well! I'm killing people in cold blood. That's not like me." Sakura shivered as she thought of what she'd done. "I hate this damned mission! I don't like killing people. Blood makes me sick, watching people die makes me sick, and watching Kenji enjoy this makes me sick. He is crazy! And he's appalling!"

"I know, Sakura. Remember, I've been in his service for two whole years. But you're doing very well for a first try. Just get this over with, and soon you'll be able to kill this whacko." Sango whispered encouragingly. "Just hold out a little longer and defeat Katsuya. Then you'll be all right. Okay?"

But Sakura did not respond. Her emerald eyes shined with unshed tears. It cut deep into Sasuke's heart to see Sakura this way. He had to do something to cheer her up.

"…Sakura…Just beat this person. You know you can. Just…think of her as Ino and you'll be all right." Sasuke said in a low voice. "Think of her as Ino trying to take the person you love from you. Then you'll do just fine. And afterwards, when we don't have Kenji looking over our shoulders, then you can cry your emotions out. Okay?"

She smiled slightly at that. "…All right, Sasuke. I'll be strong and think of Katsuya as Ino so that I can beat her without too much of a problem. And I'll do it…for the sake of our squad and our village."

"Sakura…are you ready for your last battle?" Kenji called. She turned around to face the businessman, her face once more emotionless. He sneered sinisterly. "You show great promise for a _girl_ of your age and rank. And your taijutsu skills are most impressive if you can take down two of my best female ninja with it, and without any injury. I just hope you can defeat Katsuya and come under my employment…where you belong. But don't expect Katsuya to go easy on you just because I want you to work for me. She is one of the best kunoichi under my employment. And she's killed many people much younger than you without hesitation. She could kill you easily…as you will find out. The battle between Sakura and Katsuya begins now!"

The woman with dark blue hair disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sakura kept her eyes peeled and focused chakra to her ears in order to improve her hearing. She pulled out two kunai knives to match Katsuya's daggers. And she prepared to fight Katsuya at a moment's notice. The slightest noise would alert her and draw her attack. And Sakura was ready.

*tap, tap*

That sound came from directly behind Sakura. She turned around only to come face-to-face with Katsuya. The hired assassin used one of her daggers to slice Sakura's cheek, and that was the only attack she got to land, for Sakura blocked her other attacks with the kunai knives. Katsuya back-flipped away from the pink-haired kunoichi before she could be harmed by the determined little Genin.

_Damn! She slashed me! She caught me off guard!_ Sakura thought as blood trickled from her wound. _But it won't happen again! I won't let her! I just need to remember what Sasuke said and think of her as Ino trying to take him away from me!_

And then Sakura charged into battle again. Katsuya performed hand signs before she could get too close.

_Wind Style: Fanged Wolf Hurricane! _(Made up again…Sorry again…)

Dozens on wind wolves emerged from Katsuya's hands, traveling right towards Sakura. She used chakra to jump above them but Katsuya anticipated that. She did more hand signs for another jutsu. She cut her thumb and caused blood to spill from the wound.

_Summoning Jutsu!_

A great puff of smoke enveloped the battleground. Sakura coughed when she inhaled the white cloud-like material. She dared not think about what Katsuya had summoned, but she had no choice. She had to fight it, after all, and win.

When the smoke cleared, a giant black dragon with fiery eyes stood in front of her. Katsuya stood on top of his head, sneering down at Sakura in a snotty manner, obviously thinking that she could not be beaten now. Sakura gaped at the magnificent beast that Katsuya had conjured up. All of her courage and belief that she could defeat Katsuya was gone in an instant.

"You might as well give up, little girl." Katsuya stated. "This is the end for you, anyway. No one can beat Gensou, the Dragon of Illusions! He is the supreme beast from the other realm! You're as good as dead! Die like the Genin you are!"

"Quit your gloating already! You haven't won yet!" Sakura shouted defiantly. "I'll find a way to defeat you like I did your so-called tough comrades! You just watch me!"

Katsuya laughed sinisterly. "Dreamers like you never give up, do they? That's why it's so much fun watching you die!" She looked directly at Sakura now, no longer laughing. "There's a reason your name is Sakura. It means 'cherry blossom,' and cherry blossoms have short lives. And you should have as short a life as a cherry blossom!"

Gensou breathed fire down towards Sakura. She quickly dodged it before it could singe her. The fiery-eyed dragon swung his tail at her, but she also dodged that. She grabbed a sword scattered from her first battle and readied herself for Gensou's next attack. The ebony reptile swung his tail at her again. Sakura blocked it with her free arm and cut a portion of it off with the sword. The dragon hissed in pain and made a swipe at the pink-haired kunoichi with his claws. Sakura jumped back, but not before one of his claws sliced her right arm open. Blood poured from that wound in large quantities, weakening Sakura. She bit her lip to keep from screaming in the agony of her pain, and continued to face the dragon and his master.

Sakura dropped the sword and gathered chakra in her left arm, the one unharmed during this fight. The chakra wasn't green this time; it was like fire danced in her hand. There was a tint of green and blue, but mostly it was the same shade as Gensou's eyes. The chakra expanded so that it took up space in front of her and further up her arm. Katsuya took this as a bad sign and ordered her dragon to annihilate the little Genin. Sakura somehow managed to block all of his attacks as she approached the dragon. No, she didn't use her weak, bleeding arm. She made a chakra force field to protect her from the dragon's attacks. And she now stood in front of the great beast, her whole body submerged in that fiery chakra. Katsuya just stared in awe at the little Genin.

And then Sakura struck.

With her one unharmed arm, she hit the great reptile all over, singeing the scales wherever she touched him. He roared in agony, trying to swipe her away. But the fiery chakra covered her whole body, and her feet ran faster than ever. She wouldn't be caught so easily. Soon, she had scorched the Gensou so much that the great beast could no longer move without pain surging through him. But Sakura wasn't done just yet. Her left hand glowed brighter than the rest of her, proving that she was gathering immense chakra right there.

And then she slammed her fist into the ground.

The floor beneath the great dragon began breaking apart. The dragon's weight caused the ground to collapse beneath it, and he fell into the hole. Katsuya quickly jumped from his head before she too fell in the hole. Her daggers were at the ready as she watched Sakura, who was still enveloped in fiery chakra. Sakura wagged her finger slowly at Katsuya and shook her head.

"I beat your dragon. That proves you were wrong about me." Sakura remarked, her voice echoing louder than it should have. "My name may mean 'cherry blossom,' but I will not have a short life. You, however, will. Sorry."

All of the fiery chakra drained into her left palm. It all ejected itself out at Katsuya, who tried to get out of the way, but didn't make it in time. She was burned to a crisp on the spot. Only her ashes remained where she once stood. Where the dragon had fallen now flooded with smoke as Gensou returned to his realm.

The fiery chakra disappeared completely. Sakura, breathless, tied, and wounded, collapsed to the ground. Sasuke rushed over to her and helped her to stand, keeping his eyes away from the bloody arm so he would not vomit. Kenji clapped his hands to applaud her brilliance and honor her victory, but Sakura felt no joy about winning. Like she had said, she hated killing people. What victory is that of which you had to kill to win?

"Brilliant! Magnificent! Outstanding!" Kenji complimented, walking over to Sasuke and Sakura. "You are the first person that has defeated Katsuya and her dragon! She was a Jounin from the Village Hidden in the Mist, and you are but a Genin from another village! I am beyond impressed! You are most definitely hired! And I'll see to it that you rise through the ranks with ease, Sakura Haruno!"

"…T-Thank you…sir…" Sakura muttered, not looking up at him.

"Hey! Don't you fools see that we need a medic nin in here?! Stop standing around and take Sakura to the infirmary immediately!" Kenji ordered a couple of the ninja standing nearby and doing nothing.

Wordlessly, the said ninja took Sakura from Sasuke and carried her off in the same direction that the others had been taken earlier. Now Sasuke was alone. All of his comrades were being treated for injuries, Kimura was being repaired, and Sousuke was watching over them. Only Sango, the hooker-ish Jounin that had been undercover for two years, remained to watch him in perhaps his final hour.

"All right. It seems you're the last one." Kenji remarked, turning back to him. "Of course, you can't be as good as Sakura just was. There can never be that much talent on a squad. You'll probably be the weakest member of the squad, and die quickly. Let's get this over with…Dinner's on at home, and I don't want to be late again. Kikyo, Kagome, and Enju, get this over with and put this poor kid out of her misery."

All the women who approached had dark hair of about the same length, dressed like Sango, and carried needles. Sasuke smirked, surprised that his challenge seemed so easy.

"…You're getting a little soft, aren't you? These three look a lot easier than the women Sakura just fought." Sasuke taunted, gaining Kenji's attention. "They look like no match for me…Sasuke Uchiha."

Kenji had been walking away, but now he froze when he heard the name. He abruptly turned around to face Sasuke. "You're the sole survivor of the Uchiha Massacre?! I thought you were a son, not a daughter! What are you doing here?! Shouldn't you be in the Leaf village?!"

Sasuke chuckled. "That village?! That village is nothing compared to this one, and it especially dulls in comparison to _your_ great league of ninja. You are far more impressive than the Leaf village could ever be. So I want to join you. And no, I was never a son. Whoever told you that was a liar."

"…S-So does that mean the others on your squad…they're also from the Leaf village?!"

"Yes, and they think the same way I do. The Stone ninja who came down here with us have no idea who we are, though, and we'd like to keep it that way."

Kenji stared hard at Sasuke, trying to see if he was telling the truth. To prove that he was not from the Stone village, Sasuke removed the Stone forehead protector and tossed it aside with that accursed wig. Then he pulled his Leaf forehead protector out of his pocket and held it up for Kenji to see before putting it in its respective place. For effect, he even activated his Sharingan.

"…I believe you." Kenji grumbled. "But I don't understand why you and your comrades are dressed like Stone ninja."

"We couldn't just waltz into the Stone village dressed as Leaf nin, now could we? We would have been killed on sight." Sasuke lied. "Now, are we going to get this fight going or not? That's why I'm here, isn't it?"

"Yes it is. But, just for you, there will be a twist. You'll fight all three of them…now!"

The three look-alike women jumped high in the air and threw several senbon at Sasuke. He easily dodged them, and, while avoiding them, performed the hand signs necessary for a jutsu that had been in his family for years.

_Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!_

He shot a huge fiery orb at the women, enveloping the battleground in smoke as the fire made contact with the ground. Somehow, the women had managed to avoid his jutsu, and so he'd have to be on his guard until the smoke cleared. Luckily, his Sharingan was active, so if they were about to do any jutsu, he could see through it in an instant.

"Look at her, Kikyo. She's just standing around, waiting for us to make our move." one of the women said in the smoke, her voice shrill and sort of whiny.

"How lady-like, don't you think, Kagome. It's either that…or the Uchiha is not as strong as she boasts herself to be. Surely she's nothing like the girl who took down the last three." a deeper woman voice stated, responding to the first one. "She's probably the weakest member of her squad. Even the blonde-haired one is stronger than her. No wonder she's still a Genin. Her comrades should be Chuunins."

"Oh, shut up, you two! She's listening for us so that she can find out where we are! You'll get us caught!" a feminine, more authoritative voice hissed. "I don't care how weak she seems! It could be a trick! So be quiet!"

"…Yes, Enju." the other two murmured.

Sasuke reached for a few kunai knives as they spoke, making his moves as unnoticeable as possible. The smoke was letting up, and the silhouettes of the three women became slightly visible. That was both good and bad. Now he could kind of see them, but they could see him even more clearly, too. They could strike him at any given moment. He'd have to be quick to avoid those senbon if he couldn't see them.

The sound of metal slicing through the air met his ears. It had to be a senbon that was tossed from one of the women. Sasuke went to block it by sound, but he was a little slow. It pierced him in the right knee. He hissed in pain as he struggled to remain standing. The women giggled insultingly from the smoke, still watching him.

_That's it! Enough of this foolishness!_ Sasuke thought, performing other hand signs. _It hasn't been that long since this battle started, but already I'm annoyed! Time for these pests to die!_

An orb radiating immense lightning chakra appeared in Sasuke's right hand. He knew it would be visible to the assassins he was fighting, but didn't care. This would be the last thing they ever saw. He'd make sure of that. Sasuke charged into the remaining smoke that the women were hiding in. They began throwing needles at him out of fear of his jutsu, so many only marred his skin and caused him to bleed. Only two left major injuries; one went through his neck, and the other went through his right shoulder. But even these did not slow him down. He ran right towards those women.

_CHIDORI!!!_

When the smoke completely cleared, only Sasuke remained standing. Kikyo, Kagome, and Enju lay dead on the ground. The chakra from the Chidori had killed them instantly. They had not suffered too much. Kenji stared in awe at the Uchiha, and those he had killed in so little time.

"Wonderful! Fantastic! Stupendous!" Kenji exclaimed. "You took out those sisters like it was child's play! You aren't as weak as I first expected! You are most definitely hired!"

"…Glad to hear it." Sasuke grumbled, pulling out a few of the senbon sticking out of him, but avoiding the ones that had done real damage.

"Hey! Stop standing around like a fool! Take Sasuke to the infirmary to be patched up, you moron!" Kenji yelled, pointing angrily at a ninja just standing around. "And somebody clean up this place! It's littered with dead bodies! And also bring some dinner for our new workers! I'll be back in the morning!"

Kenji left the area. Ninja began to clean up the battle arena and remove the dead. The ninja that Kenji had yelled at led Sasuke away in the same direction all the others had gone earlier.

He would be reunited with Sakura and the others.

Hallelujah!

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Sakura glanced up when she heard footsteps walking towards the infirmary. Right now, her arm was being sewn up. The bleed had stopped, thanks to the medic ninja who had worked on her. The cut on her cheek had small bandage on it, and she had some liquid cooling her off after all that fiery chakra use. Kakashi had already had his arm worked on, and he had a sling that he'd only need to wear for a few hours. Sousuke was completely okay and was just standing around. Kimura and Naruto were being repaired in another room because they were in a much worse condition than the rest of them. Sakura tried not to think about what might happen to Naruto, or even Kimura. And she especially tried not to think about Sasuke.

A ninja that was not Sasuke or Sango entered the doorway. Sakura's heart fell, the worst possible thing entering her mind. But it was instantly washed away when Sasuke staggered in after the other ninja. Obviously, he had won. And he had done it so quickly. And with little injury. She was impressed. Never mind that he was wearing his normal headband and not wearing the wig. Who cared about the disguises now that they had infiltrated Kenji's secret operation? Better to admit their true identity than remain hiding behind a false one. Even she had realized that, which is why she gave her name to Kenji when asked so.

"When you're done sewing her up, this one's got issues you need to tend to." the ninja who had led Sasuke in stated, pointing at Sasuke.

The medic nin working on Sakura looked up and nodded to show that he understood. "What exactly is wrong with him?"

"Senbon through the knee, neck, and shoulder. May cause major bleeding." the other ninja replied. "Be careful with this girl. She's Sasuke Uchiha, and killed the Shinozaki triplets within minutes during a three-on-one battle. Kenji believes her to be a valuable asset to our operation."

Kakashi looked up from his book when he heard Sasuke's name announced. His visible eye narrowed when it landed on the Uchiha. Obviously, the sensei was not happy with his identity being revealed in this village. And Sousuke…well, he just cocked an eyebrow in Sasuke's general direction. Sakura was even surprised that Sasuke had gone as far as to tell his real name.

The other ninja left, his presence no longer necessary. The medic ninja finished sewing up Sakura's arm and moved on to treating Sasuke. Sakura's arm still hurt like hell, so she swallowed some painkillers the medic ninja had given her. Then she waited for Sasuke to be repaired.

"…So…you won against three enemies? With the strength of these ninja, that's pretty impressive." Sakura remarked, breaking the boring silence.

Sasuke gave a small nod as the medic ninja roughly pulled out the senbon from his knee. His face became slightly distorted with pain, but he otherwise gave no sign that he felt the weapon being pulled out of him. Blood began spilling from the wound, and the medic nin immediately wrapped up the wound with gauze and applied as much pressure as possible to stop the bleeding. Then he covered it with a bandage.

"How'd you do it? Did you use your Sharingan and Chidori and Fireball Jutsu?"

Again, he nodded. This time, the medic ninja pulled out the senbon from Sasuke's shoulder. He grimaced again as blood once again came from his wound. The medic ninja copied his previous medical treatment.

"What weapons did they use? Were they different?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"So they were the same?"

A nod.

"They _all_ used senbon?!"

A nod.

"That's kind of strange, don't you think? I mean, I know they were triplets, but did everything about them match?"

A nod.

"I guess they just weren't as independent as most people. But they're dead, anyway, so it no longer matters anymore. The only thing that really matters is that you won and that you are still alive. Nothing else could possibly matter about that battle."

Sakura smiled at him, and he returned it without hesitation. But that smile faded when the medic ninja brusquely pulled the senbon out of his neck. Unlike the other times, blood gushed out of this wound. No gauze and bandage would fix this, so the medic ninja used chakra to heal the damage. The bleeding stopped immediately, much to Sakura's relief. She didn't want to see Sasuke bleed out like this. She didn't want him to die of anything but natural causes or old age. Anything else would drive her to death, too.

"That should do it for now." the medic nin muttered, washing his hands in the nearby sink. "I'll heal your other wounds tomorrow. Right now, I'm just too low on chakra to do anything else. I sincerely apologize for the trouble this may cause you…All of you."

"Don't mention it. I'm sure it's fine." Sakura said casually with a smile. "You're exhausted, I'm sure. You should go home and get some rest. That is…uh…if you don't live here, I mean."

"No one lives here. This is just where we meet to train. We have homes outside of this building, just like normal people." the medic nin told her. "I understand that you're new, but you must understand that we are just like everyone else. We only work for Kenji, the blackmailing businessman. That's what sets us apart from the rest of the world."

"My apologies, sir. I'm just an ignorant child sometimes." Sakura apologized. "…Do you know how our friends are doing? You know, Kimura and the blonde-haired kid?"

"…They're still in critical and serious condition. Kimura is expected to live as long as the others can keep regenerating new cells to replace his damaged cells. As for the blonde…he's a mystery to us all. We don't know whether or not he'll survive the night, but one thing's for sure. Somehow, his body is healing on its own at a steady pace. That might give him a chance for survival and assist the others in saving his life." the medic nin reported. "I'm sorry that I don't have any better news."

Sakura and Sasuke exchanged nervous glances. Kimura, the Stone Jounin of Squad 89, was expected to live, but Naruto…might not survive the night. That was a shot through the heart if they'd ever felt one (cue Bon Jovi's song _Shot Through the Heart_…not!). Who could live without the number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja to lighten the mood and bring a smile to everyone's face?

The medic ninja left for home, giving them the privacy they needed to speak about the mission. Sousuke was the only obstacle in their way of speaking about everything, but it didn't really matter. He already knew who Kakashi was, and now he knew about Sasuke, so he was almost completely clued in on their identities. Besides, they were in. Did it really matter anymore if their identities were exposed?

"So…you're the great Sasuke Uchiha…of the famous, elite Uchiha clan. I was expecting a male much more impressive than you, not some weak, impudent girl." Sousuke grumbled with a smirk plastered to his face, crossing his arms smugly. "Guess the rumors coming from the Leaf village are all false. You must be strong enough to defeat the Shinozaki triplets, but not strong enough to escape from injury. Therefore, you must be very weak, contradictory to the rumors."

Sasuke growled and narrowed his eyes at Sousuke. "I'm not weak."

"Sure, sure. Whatever you say." Sousuke stated sarcastically.

"Sousuke, shut up! Sasuke's isn't weak!" Sakura exclaimed, glaring daggers at the said Stone ninja. "And besides, how did _you_ not get injured? Even your sensei and ours got tossed around. And how do _you_ know how strong the Shinozaki triplets were?"

"I heard about them and their senbon skills. And as for my lack of injuries, Sakura, I suppose I'm just stronger than the senseis."

"…You're _bragging_…about skills that might not exist because _your_ enemies might not have been as strong as _their_ enemies? How narcissistic of you, Sousuke. That's _really_ mature."

"Aww, don't say that, Sakura. I'm just stating what's true. Of course, you could be right about my enemies being weaker and that's why I beat my opponents so quickly and without injury. But they were more than likely about equal. Kenji doesn't hire weaklings, that's for sure."

Sakura rolled her eyes in disgust. _And to think I actually liked this guy before,_ she thought bitterly. _I even kissed him...I must have been insane. Someone ought to have knocked some sense into my thick head before I did something that stupid. Now this narcissist probably thinks I like him..._She shuddered at the thought.

"You lie, Sousuke."

Sango appeared in the doorway, arms folded as she leaned against the doorframe. She glared daggers at the young Stone ninja, hatred burning in her blue eyes. It was almost if she knew him personally…

"Oh really, Sango? Do I lie?" Sousuke challenged, meeting her gaze with his brown one.

"…Yes, you do." Sango muttered through clenched teeth. "You know it was an unfair battle. It was planned for you to go against the weakest people under Kenji's employment just to keep your cover a secret. You already work for Kenji. Those battles were fixed, and you know it. And yet you'll sit here, _gloating_ about how great you are compared to _true_ Jounins and call younger people weak just because they're still Genin. You lie, and you'd better stop this right now before I'm forced to take action against you."

Sakura, Kakashi, and even Sasuke gaped at Sousuke. None of them had any idea that Sousuke already worked for Kenji. Now it seemed so obvious, but why hadn't they realized it before? He was a brilliant, strategic fraud who could get away with anything, that's why.

Sousuke rolled his eyes at Sango's threat. "You could never hurt me, and you know that. And thanks for blowing my cover. Now it's not a secret anymore. You _really_ know how to keep a secret. Thanks a lot."

"Would you just shut up and leave us alone?!!! You're just a nuisance, Sousuke!!!" Sakura shouted bitterly. "You keep insulting her, and you'll have to answer to me!!!"

"…No offense, Sakura…But you're only a Genin. You could never-"

Before he could finish speaking, Sakura had gotten up and punched him square in the jaw, knocking him on the ground. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he got back up. He edgily wiped it away, but a smile played on his lips while he stared at her, betraying his attitude.

"Someone's got anger issues." Sousuke remarked. "But let's see if see can quiet them down."

"How do you think you're going to do that?" Sakura asked, crossing her arms.

"There's a large bounty on the _Uchiha_, too, as well as any spy caught in our village. I could easily 'slip' your presence to someone, and be granted a large sum of money." Sousuke replied, smirking sinisterly.

"…So…what do you want from us to keep you quiet?" Kakashi inquired, glaring at Sousuke with as much anger as the others felt. He didn't like being blackmailed.

"…Nothing big. Just for Sakura to be at my disposal. That's all."

Both Sasuke and Sakura glared at him with so much vehemence that if looks could kill, Sousuke would have been a pile of microscopic ash. Even Kakashi and Sango weren't jovial (happy) with what he wanted.

"She's only twelve! You're at least three years older than her! That's a bit of a gap if you ask me! You can't have her 'at your disposal'!" Sasuke hissed, looking ready to jump up and kill Sousuke right then and there. "Pedophile!" He couldn't believe Sousuke would actually sink that low in order to have Sakura to himself. That was just despicable and disgusting and sick…

"I don't care about age. I want her at my disposal, or you guys are dead." Sousuke stated.

Sakura looked anxiously at Kakashi, her eyes pleading for him to not meet Sousuke's demands and kill him. Sasuke looked ready to concur with _that_, at command. Sango cracked her knuckles, walking towards Sousuke. He backed up slowly until his back met a wall. Sango pulled back a fist and punched him right in the stomach. He coughed up blood all over her, but she didn't care. She kneed him in the groin, causing his eyes to widen as the pain set in.

"If there's one thing I hate more than liars…" Sango said, kneeing him again before letting him fall to the ground. "…it's pedophilic perverts like you."

Sousuke sneered, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth as he got back up. "No matter what you think of me, you have no choice but to give her up to me, Sango. I could turn you in, too, you know. And then I'd be a millionaire with all the money that the Stone village would give to me. What do you think of that?"

Sakura's anger rose through the roof. The man she once thought was perfect was now imperfect. He was repulsive, arrogant, blackmailing, cruel, evil…There was no need for his existence, not after what he was doing to them.

It was time for him to die.

She drew fiery chakra into her left palm, just as she had done when facing Katsuya. It drew Sousuke's attention over to her, for this chakra was once again visible. Sango quickly made Shadow Clones and her clones pinned him in place. Sakura let the fiery chakra shoot at Sousuke, incinerating him in an instant. He became a pile of ash, and Sango's clones disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The others just gaped at her (excluding Sango).

"…Why…why'd you kill him?" Kakashi wanted to know, amazed.

"I wasn't about to be at the disposal of a man like him! No way, no how!" Sakura exclaimed, fighting back the tears stinging her emerald eyes. "I'm a free person, not a slave or some dog you can give to someone! Sousuke has lied to us, blackmailed us, used us…It was past time for him to die! He was a deceptive bastard, that's what he was!" And then she broke down into tears. "…And…and at a time…I loved him…I…I thought he was…perfect…but that was only because…he deceived me…"

She turned away from the others so they wouldn't see her cry. Sasuke came over to her side, and whispered kind words in an attempt to make her feel better. Sango exchanged glances with Kakashi, and together, they left the Genins to themselves. They walked out into the hall to speak.

"Those ashes weren't the ones of humans. He escaped." Sango said in a low voice.

"I know. But it was convincing enough for the Genins. We shouldn't let them know the truth. It would only hurt Sakura more." Kakashi murmured, glancing towards the room where his students were. "He deceived us all, but she…she suffered the most. No one should have to suffer as much as that young girl has suffered recently."

"…What are we gonna tell Kenji when he finds out about Sousuke's…'death'?" Sango asked, not knowing what else to call it.

"…We'll tell him that Sousuke tried to kill us, and Sakura was forced to incinerate him." Kakashi answered. "But since he got away using the Substitution Jutsu, we'll have to keep an eye out for him. Watch your back, Sango. Sousuke obviously hates you more than the rest of us."

Sango smiled scornfully at Kakashi. "Now Hatake, you know that Mika would never let anything happen to me. I have nothing to worry about when it comes to that little bastard. He could never defeat a demon. But your students…especially Sasuke…they might be prime targets of Sousuke's. You'd better keep a close eye on them."

"I will. I know better than to let them fend for themselves when they don't know about an enemy stalking them. I protect my Genins with my life, you know. They are our next generation, and our next Jounins. Can't let anything happen to them."

"…Yes. I suppose you're right. Let's just hope your life remains in you when we're done here."

* * *


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Three weeks passed under the employment of businessman Kenji Nakata. Naruto and Kimura were back to normal, not dead; Sakura and Sasuke had no proof that they were ever injured; and Kakashi's arm was out of the sling.

But nothing really happened.

Sousuke, who was thought dead by most people (including Kenji himself), never showed up again…yet. Kakashi and Sango were still a little wary about him, so they always had an eye out, just in case he decided to sneak up on them. Yet, he still never came around. Neither of the Jounins knew if they should take it as a good sign, or a bad one.

Kenji hadn't sent them on any of his blackmailing errands yet. He had some of his best ninja, including Sango and Ryuta himself, train them to be better ninja. Of course, Kakashi and Kimura were Jounins already, so they did not need to go through this tedious training. Kenji promised that when the Chuunin exams came around, he'd make sure they passed them and became Chuunins. But none of them wanted to become Chuunins because of _him_. They all hated Kenji Nakata, and the Leaf ninja were secretly preparing to kill him.

But something else was about to happen.

Something that would come as a shock to all.

Well, except Sakura…and it wouldn't be as big a shock to Kimura as the deaths of _all_ his students, but…

It was time for Sasuke to give up the genjutsu.

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura had discussed how to go about this. They knew there would be a lot of questions requiring complex answers, but by now they were ready. Just as long as no unexpected questions popped up, they'd be all right. Of course, the odd looks Sasuke would get from his comrades would probably never cease, even when the questions had been answered and the genjutsu had been dropped. Everyone would remember the strange thing that he, Sasuke Uchiha, sole member of the elite Uchiha clan, did that summer. And they'd never let him live it down.

So one morning, back at Takashi's place, Sasuke emerged from his bedroom in his original appearance. The chest was flat, the girly features of his face were completely gone, and his voice was back to its masculine splendor. Nothing about him screamed, "I'm a girl!" anymore. He was back, not as a girl, but as Sasuke Uchiha, _son_ of the elite Uchiha clan. And the rest of his squad would now know it.

"Good morning, Sasuke." Kakashi greeted, sipping his steaming cup of coffee while reading his book (the book was right in front of his face; no one could see what's under that mask).

"…Hi." Sasuke muttered, sitting down at the table where Naruto and Kakashi were sitting. Sakura was too busy making breakfast for the rest of them to sit at the moment.

Naruto glanced up from his breakfast when he detected the masculine tone in Sasuke's voice, something he hadn't heard in a long time. His eyes widened when he saw Sasuke and realized something was different.

"Whoa!!!! Sasuke's not a girl anymore!!!! He's flat!!!!" Naruto exclaimed, shocked. His chair toppled backwards, and he fell on his head.

It took all of Sasuke and Sakura's willpower to keep from cracking up. Kakashi kept his eyes on his book, appearing not to believe Naruto during his dramatic reaction. He just put his now empty cup down and pushed his mask back up over his face. Sakura set his plate in front of him, wondering why he wasn't saying anything and wasn't looking at Sasuke for confirmation of the Uchiha's gender.

"Kakashi-sensei! Didn't you hear me?!" Naruto shouted, looking over the table as he got up, a goose egg on top of his head. "Sasuke's a guy again! He doesn't have any boobs anymore! His voice isn't girly! Even his face looks more like a guy's!"

"…That's nice." Kakashi said, still not looking up from his book. "Now if only it were true…Then I'd be surprised."

"If you'd just put the book down for a moment, you'd realize that it is true." Sasuke stated, crossing his arms because he was annoyed that the sensei wouldn't believe the truth, but would gladly accept lies. "I am not a girl. Never was, never will be. It was all genjutsu. Nothing more, nothing less."

"WHAT?!!!! IT WAS ONLY GENJUTSU?!!!!" Naruto boomed, falling over again. "THIS DAY JUST KEEPS GETTING WORSE AND WORSE!!!! WHAT'S NEXT?!!!"

"I've known that Sasuke has been himself for the past couple of months." Sakura admitted, placing Sasuke's food down on the table in front of the Uchiha.

"YOU'VE KNOWN FOR THAT LONG AND YOU NEVER TOLD US?!!!!" Naruto yelled, still on the floor and out of sight. "WHAT KIND OF FRIEND ARE YOU?!!!!"

"The kind that keeps her friend's secrets a secret." Sakura replied, coming to the table with her own breakfast. "He made me promise not to tell you guys until three months passed. And that deadline has been met, so you guys are allowed to know."

"All right. I have to see if you guys are telling the truth. This seems more interesting than Icha Paradise right now." Kakashi remarked, closing his book and staring straight at Sasuke. The Uchiha stared back, and neither of them blinked for a few seconds. And then…

Kakashi's one visible eye became huge, and his chair toppled over. He fell on his head.

Sasuke, Sakura, and even Naruto (he finally got back up) sweat dropped. No one had expected him to topple over like that. Naruto's reaction…well, that was almost guaranteed. But Kakashi was supposed to be an adult who could deal with anything, even the truth of Sasuke's gender. Kakashi was supposed to be mature. Obviously, Sasuke and Sakura had been wrong about him.

"…Sorry about that." Kakashi apologized, a huge bum forming on his head as he got back up and sat down in his chair again. "I thought you all were lying, and I wasn't expecting him to really be himself again. I was shocked, and fell back.

"But what's more interesting than the fact that Sasuke's back to normal…is _why_ he did the genjutsu in the first place. Mind explaining, you two?" He was looking right at Sasuke and Sakura. "There are two people at this table who need to be informed, you know, so you must tell us. Why did you perform the genjutsu to make yourself look, sound, and even smell like a girl?"

"Yeah! And why did you keep it from us for all this time?! It would have helped to know that you were the same old Sasuke dong some jutsu instead of keeping us in the dark and letting me fall in lo-uh, I mean, it would have allowed me to look at you without my eyes being _too_ distracted!" Naruto exclaimed furiously, glaring at them, Sasuke in particular.

"…A girl who was hired to capture Yukie…Shibiki Masatsuka…She told me that women ninja were treated like they were much weaker than men. She told me that I would disagree with it because I am a shinobi, and treated like my rank. Then she dared me to perform the genjutsu for three months and see how differently I was treated." Sasuke explained. "And as for why I kept you in the dark…She told me I couldn't let anyone know until the three months were up."

"…Shibiki? That was the name of Akira's sister, if I'm correct." Kakashi muttered to himself more than anyone else.

"You let Sakura know!" Naruto pointed out. "What's with that?!"

"He only told me because I was still in love with him and he didn't want me to think that I was gay." Sakura answered, smiling as she remembered that day. "I found out on the day that Iruka asked Sasuke how he was taking being treated differently due to his girly appearance. I told off Iruka, and then I ran, pursued by Sasuke. And then he showed me that it was only genjutsu. Don't you remember, Naruto? It was the day before we set off on this mission. You were telling Iruka how we were going to blaze past the Legendary Sannin."

Naruto fought to remember that day. "…Oh yeah! Now I remember…But you still could have told us. You kept it from me, and let me start falling in love with Sasuke. That's just messed up. Now you'll probably think I'm gay or something…" Naruto's face became red, and he quickly turned away from his comrades to attempt to hide his embarrassment.

Sasuke and Sakura exchanged creeped-out glances.

"…Naruto, we don't think that you're gay. Sasuke…did look pretty cute as a girl." Sakura told him. "Besides, I'm sure Choji and Kiba were falling for him, too. So don't feel too bad. Sasuke-kun won't hold this against you…" She glanced over her shoulder at him. "…Will you, Sasuke?"

He was about to say that he would hold it against Naruto, but there was a pleading look in Sakura's eyes. Sasuke tried to fight it, but he couldn't do it to Sakura. She once thought that she was gay when she really wasn't, and now Naruto was facing the same ordeal. He couldn't hold something like that against the number one knucklehead ninja in Japan. No. That would just be cruel.

"…No. I won't hold it against Naruto." Sasuke grumbled.

"Thank you." Sakura smiled warmly, both at him and Naruto.

"…Yeah…thank you, Sasuke." Naruto murmured, facing them again. "I really appreciate that you won't insult me with it and tell the world. That's the last thing I need."

"…You're…welcome…" Sasuke managed to muster, forcing himself to smile at Naruto.

"Well, as much as I am relieved that you aren't a girl, you're going to have to keep up that genjutsu while we're on this mission. Too many people believe that you are a girl, not a boy. Will you be all right with that, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked.

"…I don't really care. That genjutsu has been a part of me for so long, I've gotten used to it. I could probably continue it for a few more months if I had to." Sasuke stated, a little embarrassed by that fact. "The thing is, I never really _experienced_ the prejudice stuff Shibiki spoke to me about. No one's treated me like I was weaker than Naruto. I was pretty much treated the same, even by these ninja we're now working with."

"…Well, actually, you're wrong there, Sasuke-kun." Sakura remarked. "You haven't paid attention to the people training Naruto, and how strong they are. Ryuta, one of Kenji's strongest ninja, always trains him and puts him through intense training that pushes him to the point of exhaustion. Your mentors are men, it's true, but the truth is, they're only Chuunins or new Jounins. The same is true for mine. And our training isn't as demanding as Naruto's. So they are being prejudice against your strength. Take my word on it, Sasuke. Kenji thinks us weaker than Naruto."

Under the table, Sakura slid her hand into Sasuke's. He hardly noticed, for it felt so right for her hand to be clasped in his. Of course he believed her about the prejudice training. There was no denying the words that came from the cleverest student to graduate in his year. She would never lie to him, anyway. He could see that as he stared into her emerald eyes, but in his heart he already knew.

Kakashi and Naruto exchanged glances as Sasuke and Sakura stared at each other. Naruto chuckled mischievously, causing them to look away from the other and blush when they realized what they had been doing. Of course, Sasuke's face only had a tint of pink while Sakura's face made a tomato look dull.

"So, you keep us in the dark and _still_ get the girl? That's so unfair!" Naruto complained, but he was grinning that infamous grin of his. "And I thought that Sakura would never want you again, but apparently I was wrong. Oh well…I suppose I should be happy that the cold-hearted Uchiha finally found room in that frozen brick of tissue to love someone. Congrats! Let me know when you start passing out the wedding invitations. I want to be the first to know the date."

The blushes intensified at that.

"Naruto! We haven't even started dating yet, let alone thought about getting married! We're only twelve! We don't need to think about that right now!" Sakura exclaimed, discomfited beyond what she usually was at times like this. "…But if it ever happens, you'll be the first to know. I promise you that, my obnoxious friend."

"Gee, thanks! I really appreciate that!" Naruto said, grinning from ear to ear. "You have just over five years to work on your relationship before you can legally marry. Better start working on wedding plans. Five years will pass you by before you even realize it. Take my word for it. It seems like just yesterday I entered the Academy, but it was a few years ago that it really happened. Better be prepared."

"…You enjoy embarrassing us and making us uncomfortable, don't you?" Sasuke inquired, fighting to keep a straight face as he glared at Naruto.

"Yep! That's what I live for, you know!"

"Speaking of being prepared, finish eating. We have to meet at Kenji's business place in less than thirty minutes." Kakashi reminded them. "And you know with a man like him, we can't be late. The consequences could literally be deadly."

* * *

The plan of how to take out Kenji was set. Over the past few weeks, Squad 7 and Sango elusively hid bombs all over the underground training/battle arena. Not one had been discovered over the three week span. Kakashi secretly had the trigger hidden in his vest pocket. (Yes, he was wearing his normal clothes, as were the rest of them, now that Kenji knew who they were. There was no point in hiding behind a false identity anymore.) The explosion would kill several ninja under Kenji's employment, setting them free from their slavery that many had so willingly been engaged in. Some had been forced into it. Hopefully, the explosion would kill a large number of the more than 5,000 ninja under Kenji's employment, and make this mission a lot easier for the Leaf nin.

Kimura, the sole Stone ninja who had been dragged into this mess, had been angry when he found out who the members of Squad 7 really were and where they were from. But he eventually accepted them, and, although he still disliked them, he was their mutual ally. He assisted them in planting the bombs and gathering weapons they could use against the ninja who survived the blast. But he never stayed around them longer than he had to. Kakashi wished that the man he had befriended in disguise would see past their villages, but it didn't seem like it would ever happen.

Sango was in the process of training Sakura during the day and searching for Sousuke at night. He knew their secrets and could exploit them at any given moment unless he was found. She knew the others were too busy to search for him, and although she herself was as busy as them, her demon provided her with the energy to work at nights when the others would be sleeping. Besides, she didn't want Squad 7 to be found out because the members were all so young and had a life to look forward to. She had to find Sousuke before he could ruin everything.

Kimura grunted bitterly when he saw Squad 7 leaving the elevator and walking into the underground training/ battle arena. Kakashi waved to him, although he knew the Stone ninja disliked him, and came over to his side while his students dispersed to be trained by their other senseis. Kimura didn't look at him as he pulled out a katana, for he always trained with Kakashi because he didn't like the other ninja any better. Kakashi grabbed a katana as well, and took his place a few yards from the Stone ninja.

"Kimura, there's something I need to tell you." Kakashi stated quietly as they began attacking each other.

"…What do you need to tell me?" Kimura asked gruffly, narrowly avoiding an attack from Kakashi.

"It's about Sousuke…and Sasuke." Kakashi said, quickly blocking Kimura's sword as the Stone nin swung it at him. "There's something about your student and mine that we've neglected to tell you."

"…What do you mean? There are many things you've neglected to tell me, Leaf nin." Kimura muttered before ducking beneath one of Kakashi's swipes. "As I recall, you didn't inform me that you and your students were impersonating my best friend and his students, who are all probably dead right now. And you never completely explained why you wanted to join Kenji until we managed to get in here. It doesn't surprise me that there's more you've been hiding from me. So please, fill my obviously worthless brain with some more facts I should know."

Kakashi flinched slightly at the bitterness in the Stone nin's voice, but quickly recovered so he could continue training. "Your student, Sousuke, is not dead, as you were led to believe. He passed the tests to get in here, but it wasn't really necessary for him to do so. You see, he was already under the employment of Kenji Nakata."

The Stone Jounin appeared shocked after hearing this. A second later, he wore an emotionless mask again, but Kakashi was sure the Jounin was upset and frustrated that his student, who was alive against what he had heard, had been working for the blackmailing businessman for all this time without him knowing. Unfortunately, Kimura said nothing to this new bit of information, so Kakashi continued.

"Right after all of us had participated in the tests, Sousuke tried to blackmail us into letting him have Sakura 'at his disposal.' He threatened to drop my and Sango's names to certain people and let the authorities get us. Of course, we would have none of that. Sakura did not want to be subjected to that kind of treatment, so she tried to burn him to a crisp. But he used the Substitution Jutsu at the last second, and since that day we have not seen him. Sakura and Sasuke have no clue that he's still alive, but I thought you might want to know who your student really was."

Kimura said nothing, but from his slowed response to Kakashi's attacks, the Leaf ninja knew this new information was troubling him.

"Are you all right, Kimura?" Kakashi inquired as he nicked the Stone ninja's shoulder, not expecting to actually hurt the Stone ninja.

He didn't seem to notice that he had been hit at all; he was so lost in thought that he was oblivious to anything. But a moment later, he came around and realized what had just happened. He gripped his slightly bleeding shoulder, wincing a little from the pain. Kakashi put down his katana and laid a hand on the Stone nin's shoulder.

"Maybe you should take a break today, Kimura. Kenji ought to let you off for a day, considering all the dirty work you've done for him." Kakashi suggested.

"I'm fine. It's just a small cut." Kimura grumbled, pushing Kakashi's hand off.

"Physically, you're fine. But emotionally and physically, you're not. A ninja cannot function properly when depressed like you are. You can return home, and I'll cover for you if Kenji asks any questions. You know you need to rest."

Kimura sighed. Ever since he'd gotten into this place, he hadn't been sleeping well. Dark purple bags were under his now dim jade eyes, and he was bruised all over from training. He was sore all over, and rest wasn't really a bad idea. But he didn't know if he could get away with a day of rest from Kenji. That man was a serious businessman; he doubted he would allow absences without a serious cause.

"Thanks, but no thanks, Kakashi. I don't think that even you could convince Kenji that I really needed to go home."

"Sure I can. I'll just punch you really hard and make it seem that you are sick. He'll want you as far from him as possible so he won't get the stomach virus. No questions necessary. And it'll get you out of here quickly."

"…Thanks. What did you want to tell me about Sasuke before you make me sick to my stomach?"

"…She's a guy. He did genjutsu to make people think he was a girl because some girl dared him to."

Kimura didn't have time to respond to that, for the next moment (while no one was looking, of course) Kakashi punched him abruptly in the gut. An agonizing pain resulted from this blow, and Kimura could feel his stomach contents rising up his esophagus. Kakashi moved out of the way just in time, for Kimura vomited towards where he had just been standing. Luckily, he hadn't hit the Stone nin hard enough to cause internal bleeding, or else blood would have been added to the revolting puddle of greenish half-digested food.

All activity in the training/ battle arena ceased when people heard the sound of him throwing up. Many people looked away at the sight of the vomit. But some people stared with their noses wrinkled up in disgust. Kenji, being one of those people, walked forward, an unhappy expression on his face as he stared at Kimura and the vomit.

"What happened here?!!! Are you sick or something, Kimura?!!!" Kenji demanded, looking at the vomit like it would jump up and eat him.

Kimura was green in the face and in too much pain to speak. He had fallen to his knees, heaved, and tossed up even more food. A chorus of, "Eww!", "Gross!", and "That's disgusting!" rang out through the place at that. Kenji glared down his nose at Kimura, still expecting an answer from the Jounin.

"He ate something bad last night." Kakashi told the blackmailer, gaining the sickened man's bitter gaze. "I told him he shouldn't have come here, but he didn't want to miss a day to work for you. He feared you wouldn't let him off just because he caught a bug. Unfortunately for him, he's been throwing up all morning. All that acids' gonna tear up his throat. And he's got a fever, too, so he's probably contagious."

"Contagious?!!! Gah!!!" Kenji exclaimed, backing away from Kimura. "Get him outta here!!! Take him home, and make sure he gets there without getting me sick!!! And don't come back until you're sure you're completely healthy!!! Got that, Kimura?!!!"

The Stone nin gave him a feeble nod. Kakashi helped him get off the ground and led him towards the elevator because they had to give the illusion that Kimura was too weak to walk too far on his own. Someone passed him a bucket for the Stone nin to throw up in, obviously thinking of everyone's sanitation. Kimura did indeed need it; Kakashi had hit him hard enough to get rid of all his stomach's contents. The last thing either Jounin heard from the underground hideout was Kenji ordering someone to clean up the vomit before the germs got him.

And then the doors closed.

* * *

"Do you think Kimura's all right?" Sakura asked as she, Sasuke, and Naruto exited the hideout hours later. Kakashi had not returned, for Kenji had claimed he might be contagious and let him have the day off to disinfect.

"I dunno. I mean, he tossed his cookies more than once while down there. He could be really sick." Naruto said. "And Kakashi could have caught it, too. Which means that _we_ could catch it! I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to spend a few days with my head over the toilet. I'm stirring clear of Kakashi-sensei and Kimura."

"Oh, come on. You don't want to check up on Kimura to see how he's feeling?" Sakura inquired, giving him a look that made him rethink his previous words. "That's so rude! If you were sick with the stomach virus, I bet Kimura would check up on you. You should do the same, Naruto. It's common courtesy."

Naruto almost agreed with her, but then his stubborn side kicked in. "Who cares about common courtesy anymore? I mean, if everyone thought that way, there wouldn't have been any wars or murders or crimes…and ninjas wouldn't be necessary. The world would be perfect and peaceful. But it's not, so to hell with common courtesy! I'm not gonna get sick to make you happy, Sakura! Sorry, but I'm just not!"

Sakura glared at Naruto, putting her hands on her hips. "If you don't come with Sasuke and me, I'll make your life so much like hell at home that you'll wish you were spending your days with your head over the toilet. And you know I will."

The blonde sighed, admitting defeat. "Fine. Let's go to the sicko's home so we can all get infected and freak Kenji out and delay our mission even more."

The pink-haired kunoichi smiled. "Glad you see it my way."

Squad Seven headed towards Kimura's home. None of them had ever been inside, but they knew its location for emergency purposes only. Emergencies had never come up, but the students figured Kimura wouldn't might them dropping by to see how he was. They were all aware of the Stone nin's dislike of Leaf nin, so they had been careful not to come near him more than they had to. This, however, was a special occasion, so he would just have to deal with it.

They found the house within twenty minutes of walking. Sakura pushed Naruto towards the door, not wanting to be the one to disturb Kimura. When Naruto glared at her, she just hid behind Sasuke and giggled. If she had done something like this before, Sasuke would have rolled his eyes and walked away. But now he cracked a smile at Sakura's childish behavior and wished he could play along without seeming completely out of character. Naruto was not one bit intimidated by Sasuke and tackled both him and Sakura, knocking them to the ground. They collapsed, and Sakura and Naruto began to laugh. Shortly afterwards, Sasuke joined in, unable not to anymore.

The front door opened and someone heaved a great sigh upon seeing them. Squad Seven looked up to see Kimura and Kakashi standing in the doorway, smiling at them. The Genins quickly stood up and tried to look serious, but Naruto couldn't wipe the grin from his face, and that kept Sakura smiling, which in turn made Sasuke smirk.

"Well, what do we have here? It looks as if your students wanted to check up on us, Kakashi." Kimura said.

"Yes, it appears that way." Kakashi agreed, staring at them. "What do you guys want?"

"Kakashi-sensei! Kimura! You aren't-!" Naruto exclaimed, confused.

"No, we're not sick. It was just an act." Kakashi told him. "Kimura needed a day off, and well, I just got one thrown into the bargain."

"But we saw Kimura throw up. How can that happen without him being ill?" Sakura asked, not using her brain to figure out this stuff for herself.

"He punched me in the stomach. That's what made me get sick all over the place." Kimura explained. "Totally freaked Kenji out, and got me out of there. Like your sensei said, it was all an act. You don't need to worry about catching anything while you're around us, 'kay?"

"Phew!" Naruto shouted, sounding rather relieved.

"You're such a knucklehead." Sasuke muttered.

"Well, don't just stand there. Come in." Kimura ordered, stepping aside so the Genins could enter. "Actually, we're quite happy that you three decided to stop by. There's something we need to discuss with you about the mission."

"What about it?" Sakura inquired, taking a seat on Kimura's couch beside Naruto and Sasuke. Kakashi, Kimura, and Sango (who was also there) sat across from them on another couch.

"…The plan goes into affect tomorrow."

* * *

_A/N: The end of Chapter 12! YAY! Soon this whole thing will have come to an end. So what did you guys think? Whatever it is, please say it! Review, please!_


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: Well, not many people are reviewing. Ah well... I must continue this story for those that are. Please continue reading.

* * *

_

Chapter 13

"Really? We're gonna bring the place down tomorrow? Awesome!" Naruto exclaimed, not at all afraid of what might happen when he would have to fight all those highly experienced ninja that worked for Kenji.

"It's about time. I thought we would be stuck here forever." Sasuke muttered.

Sakura, too, was glad that they'd finally get to see some action, but she was also nervous. She feared for her life and the lives of everyone else on her side, for she knew these ninja they would be facing were not just great in number, but also great in skill. A trio of Genins could easily be defeated by them. And the Jounins would be outmatched, too. This was going to be difficult, and most likely deadly. So she didn't say anything, fearing that her anxiousness would be heard in her voice.

"Are all the bombs in position?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes. At this rate, we should be able to bring down the entire hideout and the building above it." Sango replied. "All that's left to do is pull the trigger and watch the fireworks."

"Good. How many do you suppose will survive the explosion?" Kimura inquired.

"…Well, the explosions should take out about two hundred of the stupider ones…and the result of the explosions, like the ceiling collapsing and the building above falling in on them…that should take care of another eighteen hundred, if we're lucky." Sango stated. "But that doesn't make our odds any better. Six against more than three thousand…We should make funeral arrangements immediately. There's no way we can survive this mission _and_ complete the mission. I'm sorry to be telling this to children, but they won't be living long enough to see themselves become Chuunins. And we Jounins won't live long enough to turn 30. Damn."

"It won't be six against three thousand." Kimura remarked, gaining the quizzical gazes of the others. "I told the Tsuchikage that I was about to take down Kenji Nakata with a few…friends. He's sending in reinforcements to aid us in our conquest. A thousand of the Stone village's best fighters will be joining us. That will improve our odds a bit."

"And I relayed our situation to the Hokage. She promises to send as many ninja as she can to help us. That'll be about a few hundred, if she's lucky, and they could be Genins to Jounins for all we know. But that should improve our odds, too, regardless of rank." Kakashi said. "She also contacted Suna and they said they'd lend a hand."

"It sure seems like everyone wants Kenji dead. For someone as unknown as him, that's amazing." Sakura commented. "Why do so many people want to help with the takedown of one man and his organization?"

"Because they know what a threat he can become to their lands. They've seen it before…with Gato. They don't want to see it again. And the Stone village has suffered from him for a long time. I doubt they'd care if unallied nations came in to take care of him. We can only hope that the Tsuchikage will not attack our troops when they come to help with his takedown." Kakashi explained.

"The Sand, the Leaf, and the Stone villages all working together…That'll be a sight to see." Sango stated. "Still…there's one threat that stands in our way. A wild card that holds our fates in the balance. If this card is played, we won't be able to put the plan into action…because we'll all be dead."

"Wild card? What wild card?" Naruto inquired, confused.

"…Sakura should know who I'm talking about. After all, she was the one who tried to kill him shortly after being accepted into this place."

The pink-haired kunoichi did know now whom she spoke of, but did not understand. "But…I thought I _killed_ Sousuke. How can he still be a threat when I made him into a pile of ashes?"

"You didn't kill him. He used the Substitution Jutsu to escape your fiery chakra. But he gave the illusion that you had burned him so that he could do whatever he wanted without you suspecting him of it." Sango told her. "He's the wild card. And if he chooses to pop up and tell Kenji of our plans now…We're all dead.

"I've been searching for him ever since he disappeared. So far, I haven't been able to locate him, even with Mika's help. It's almost as if he's dropped off the face of the Earth, but I know he's not dead. I'm going out again tonight, but if I can't find him…anything could happen tomorrow. So if I were you guys, I'd be on my guard at all times tomorrow. Death may be waiting just around the corner for us all, with a pretty face, light blonde hair, and evil intentions in his brown eyes."

Sakura couldn't believe it. All this time she thought she had killed that bastard Sousuke, and now she was told that he was not dead and could ruin everything at any given moment. Things just seemed to be getting worse and worse for her. She slouched down in her seat, wishing she could just go back to Konoha and get away from all of this.

Sasuke saw this action and frowned. He knew how Sakura felt about Sousuke after what that bastard had tried to blackmail them into doing. He understood why she would be upset at the news that he still lived and could ruin everything. So, in an attempt to comfort his little cherry blossom, he put his arm around her shoulders. She glanced up at him, and he smiled down at her, trying to let her know everything would be all right. She couldn't help but smile back, but hers faded quickly for some reason unknown to Sasuke.

"All right. Are you three prepared for tomorrow?" Kakashi asked.

"I don't know…Are we?" Naruto inquired, knowing that Kakashi might try to pull something if he'd said otherwise.

"Well, a little bit of training might do you some good. Let's go, you three."

Squad 7 obediently stood up and followed their sensei out of Kimura's house. Sango waited awhile before she, too, left. Kimura found himself alone…again. But he wasn't looking forward to tomorrow at all.

* * *

Later that night, back at Takashi's place, Sakura was having a hard time falling asleep. Her fear about the coming events was keeping her up, and there wasn't any fighting it. So she just lay there, wondering and worrying about something that she could not do anything to change. Her inner self probably would have screamed at her for being so anxious, but unlike Sakura, her inner self was asleep. Sakura couldn't help but smirk at the irony, but even that smirk faded quickly.

_Tomorrow...Tomorrow, anyone could be killed. True, there will be plenty of reinforcements...but we'll still be outnumbered. Anything can happen, and there's nothing I can do about it. I could lose Naruto...or Sasuke...or even Kakashi-sensei...and they could lose me,_ Sakura thought. _What would I do without them? What would they do without me? And what about my friends coming in from Konoha to help? If I lose any of them...it'd be just as bad as losing one of my squad members. Even losing Ino-pig would be horrible, as much as I hate to admit it._

_There'll be too much death tomorrow...will I be able to remain strong? Or will I break down and cry? No. I have to remain strong. If not for me, then for my comrades. I can't let them down. No matter who dies and how much carnage there is...I must be strong! Whatever happens, I cannot fail this mission! So far, this mission has made me into a stronger kunoichi, and I have no doubt that it will continue to do so tomorrow, where the real test shall begin. Let's just hope the costs of me becoming stronger aren't too much...otherwise...it won't be worth it._

_I need to stop thinking about this. There's nothing worse than a tired kunoichi in battle. They'll kill me in an instant. I need rest. Calm down, Sakura. Just think happy thoughts and sleep will find you. If you get all worked up, your brain will be working too hard and rest will be impossible. Just relax. Think about something soothing, and all your fears will go away._

There was only one thing in the whole world that could soothe Sakura's mind if she thought about him. She glanced across the room at her door, and imagined for a moment she had X-ray vision. Just across from her bedroom was his room. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought about him, and imagined him peacefully asleep in his bed while Naruto was sprawled on the floor (there were only three bedrooms in Takashi's house). The gentle rising and falling of his chest, his light breathing...his handsome face glowing in the moonlight…It was a beautiful, calming image in Sakura's mind. Her fears faded, her eyes became heavy, and she felt tired for the first time that night. She fell asleep quickly afterwards, all thanks to the visual of…

Sasuke Uchiha.

* * *

The next morning, the spies set out to complete their mission. Sakura was still a bit edgy and worried about the possible casualties, but she tried not to let it show. Naruto wore a huge grin on his face, prepared for anything and fearing nothing. Sasuke, still clad in his girlish genjutsu, didn't seem to care about what might happen that day. He was confident that things would go their way. The Jounins just hoped things would go as planned.

"Hey Sasuke…" Sakura said quietly, getting him to look at her. "…What would you do if I died today?"

Sasuke was slightly taken aback by her question. He could see the worry on her face and the sadness dwelling in her eyes, so he knew she had really given this some thought and was probably worrying herself sick about it. So he tried to answer the best he could, knowing that if she really did die, his heart would be shattered.

"…Well, if you were to die today…I would probably seek revenge first, killing whoever it was that killed you. After that was complete…I would…break down and cry… wondering why it had to be you that was taken from the world…and I wouldn't be able to go on without you…for much longer…unless I were to kill everything to vent my frustration and sadness." Sasuke replied. "In the end, I'd probably be driven insane by the pain of losing you…and I'd commit suicide to stop my suffering."

"…So…you'd miss me?"

"Yes, I'd miss you terribly."

Sakura was touched slightly. The boy she had been trying to win over for so long would indeed go insane if she were to die, for that was how much he loved her. That was just more of a reason for her to try to stay alive. For his sake, she couldn't be killed. She couldn't put him through the pain.

"If Sakura were to die," Naruto stated, for he had overheard their conversation, "I'd kill everyone under that bastard Kenji's control. Then I'd end up crying for weeks, for I would be unable to do anything else. I wouldn't even have enough strength to eat ramen. Then I'd condemn the world for your death, quit being a ninja, and live a life of solitude, for your death would impair me so much that I could not continue my training or succeed in my dream to become Hokage. Eventually, my not being able to do anything would lead to my death, but hey. At least I'd be able to see you again. That would make me happy in death just to see your beautiful smile."

That put the icing on the cake. Even Naruto would miss her if she was killed. Her whole squad needed her to live in order to survive and remain strong. It was as if she were the glue that held them together, and without her, they'd fall apart.

"But you're not going to die. You're too strong to be taken out by a bunch of rogues." Sasuke remarked, taking her hand in his. "I've seen you fight. You've got talent and strength that I've never seen before. As much as I hate to say this, you may even be a better ninja than me. There's no way anyone can hurt you. You're invincible."

"I am not." Sakura said. But she had a huge smile on her face now.

"Whatever." Sasuke muttered, but he was smirking.

"You know what I would do if you died?" Sakura asked. "I would be so heartbroken that I would probably end up getting myself killed. Then we'd be together again, and all would be well. For us, at least."

"If Sasuke died, I'd probably do what I did when I thought Haku killed him. Only I'd actually kill people this time. I'd go berserk and wouldn't be able to return to normal for a long, long time. When I came out of my murderous rage, I would cry and cry and cry until I couldn't cry anymore, cuz as much as I hate to admit this, I'd really miss ya, Sasuke. And I'd probably end up joining you guys in the afterlife." Naruto told them.

"Thanks for caring, loser." Sasuke muttered, but he was still smirking.

"Now if Naruto died, I don't know what I'd do." Sakura stated. "He's so funny and such a moron and so many other things rolled into one. If he died, I'd be so sad. I'd miss him and his stupid antics so much, and if I saw something that reminded me of him, I'd probably cry. I don't know yet if I would go so far as to join him, but I'd be sad for the rest of my life."

"Aww…Sakura, you care!" Naruto exclaimed with a huge grin. "I love you, too!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "If the knucklehead died, which wouldn't be too surprising, I'll admit that I'd miss him. I'd eventually get over it. But Sakura's grief would always be a constant reminder of the loss of my comrade, and I'd never forget the idiot who would be Hokage."

"Aww…Sasuke, you care, too!" Naruto exclaimed. "I love you, too, Baka!"

Just for kicks, Naruto turned around and planned to do something that would creep both of his comrades out. He came over to them, grinning mischievously. They were a little worried about what the knucklehead would do already. Sasuke and Sakura were about to back away slowly when Naruto made his move. He kissed Sakura on the cheek first before turning to Sasuke and doing the same. The Uchiha nearly killed him for that, but Naruto got away just in time.

"See? I told ya I loved you!" he said with that grin still plastered to his face.

Sakura was blushing slightly, for she was embarrassed that Sasuke had seen that and that Naruto had done it. Sasuke was bright red for some reason. Maybe it was anger mixed with the shame of being kissed by a boy. But then Kakashi told them to stop fooling around and get ready.

They were about to enter the lion's den.

* * *

The spies went into the underground training area to be sure that everything was set to go. If even one thing was out of place, that could ruin their entire mission. As soon as it was certain that everything was as it should be, then they would go outside again, claiming to be heading out on a mission, and the place would become a pile of rubble.

All of Kenji's hired help were down there, training as always. Nothing seemed out of place at first glance. But Kakashi noticed something was different about the ninja. They were all smiling, as if something had gone right for once. This was odd, for nothing ever went right enough for the ninja to smile so brightly. What were they missing?

"Ah, Kakashi. There you are." Kenji said, appearing behind the group of ninja spies as he leaned heavily on his cane. "Are you and Kimura well today?"

"Yes sir. We're well and ready to go." Kakashi answered.

"Good." Kenji grumbled. "You missed something important last night. It's something that I've wanted to happen for months now, but everyone I sent to do it failed miserably and were never found again. But it's happened now. Guess I must have sent the right people after all this time."

"What happened last night, sir?" Kimura inquired.

"My men finally captured the Princess of the Land of Snow, Koyuki Kazahana." Kenji replied, sneering evilly. "Her people will pay dearly to get her back. And her land will fall to pieces without her to guide them. Oh, this is the best plan I've had in a long time! It's just perfect!"

"I don't believe it." Sakura murmured.

"Skeptical, are we? Well, let me give you the proof!" Kenji shouted. "Bring out our special guest, Ryuta!"

The largely muscled man appeared before the group, holding a restrained and gagged Yukie (also known as Koyuki). Her eyes were wide with fear and acknowledgement of those she was facing. Of course she recognized the knucklehead blonde Hokage-to-be, the gray-haired shinobi, the smart pink-haired kunoichi, and the cold blue-haired Uchiha. The fear was from her current situation; she was probably also wondering why four people that had helped her before were now working for a threat. Squad 7 couldn't help but be surprised, too. The princess being kidnapped ruined their plans completely.

"Do you believe now, our little cherry blossom?" Kenji asked, a sinister smirk on his lips as he looked back at Sakura. "She's ours now, and the Land of Snow will have to give _everything_ if they ever want to see their precious princess alive again."

Ryuta, upon receiving the order from Kenji, took Yukie away into another room. Kenji left the group as well, muttering something about having important business to attend to.

After a few moments of silence, Naruto spoke.

"What are we gonna do now? We can't blow the place up if Koyuki's here." he said in a barely audible voice.

"You're right. This changes things completely. In order to go through with the plan now, we'd have to rescue the princess first. And that won't be easy. The way Kenji keeps rambling on about her, I bet they're protecting her like a prized gem." Kimura grumbled. "Getting past all those guards alive _and_ getting the princess out of there…That's doesn't seem possible at all. Got any ideas, Kakashi?"

"…For once…No." Kakashi admitted. "The only thing I could think of is going all rogue on Kenji and distracting his ninja long enough for someone to save Yukie, but the chances of that actually succeeding…" Kakashi shook his head.

"I could take everyone out. I've got the strength and the brains. And once the threat is gone, I could save the princess." Sakura suggested.

"No way. You could never do that alone and survive. If you even think about doing something like that, then _I_ am going back you up." Sasuke stated.

At that, Sakura smiled.

"Yeah. And I'll pull out some wickedly awesome jutsu to aid you guys, too. A bunch of Shadow Clones and Rasengan ought to do the trick. The three of us will be able to save the princess, no problem." Naruto put in, grinning.

"If you _Genins_ even dare think us Jounins will let you attempt this on your own, you're nuts. We'll aid you. Right Kakashi?" Kimura was smiling, too.

"Right. This'll be a team effort. It'll be all, or nothing." Kakashi agreed. _And if it comes down to it...I'll blow this whole place up even with us in it. But that's only if there's no other way._

Sango saw the determination on all their faces and felt a pang inside. They were all so young and yet they were willing to die in order to save Yukie. Before, she probably would've seen the princess as just another casualty necessary for the good of all. But these people had changed her opinion of all life. Yukie was the ruler of a nation. If she died, then what would become of the Land of Snow? And if these people died trying to save her, then what would become of their dreams?

"…No. Let me save the princess." Sango remarked, causing everyone to look at her.

"But…But you're just one person. If you tried to save her…you would be…" Sakura trailed off.

"You're forgetting something, Cherry. I'm not just one person. I've got a demon with the urge to kill someone. She can take care of this whole situation and will get away with it. Mika can get the princess, and you guys can get out of dodge." Sango told them. "Besides, I don't see many other people on our side with a demon, so I'm less likely to be killed out of all of us. Better one casualty than six, right?"

"Well, yes…But-"

"Don't worry about me, Kakashi. I can handle it." Sango said. "Just get yourselves out of here and let Mika take care of things. As soon as you see her, detonate the bombs. Then things will be just as they were before. The reinforcements will come, Yukie will be safe, and we can nip the Kenji fiasco in the bud."

"Are you sure about this, Sango?" Sakura asked, uncertain of the woman's power.

"Yes, I'm sure, Cherry. I would gladly risk my life…for the trio who might surpass the Legendary Sannin."

At that, the Genins smiled.

"Now go. Mika's ready to break out and kill something."

* * *

_A/N: Ooh... Things didn't go as planned. Do they ever? What did you think? Please review this horrible and confusing story._


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Things have been happening at home (like stupid school) that have prevented me from working on all of my stories. I hope to get things rolling soon. For now, here's a chapter to keep you entertained. Enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 14

Everyone backed away as Sango began to shift form. Crimson chakra appeared around her, a sure sign that Mika was coming out. Sango's eyes took on the look of a demon, and her nails lengthened and sharpened. Her canines followed, becoming so long that they looked as if they would pierce Sango. The rest of her transformation was unmentionable because it was too creepy yet amazing all at once. But when the whole thing was done, a ten-foot tall russet cat demon possessing two tails (but not a real named tailed demon), snarling at the other ninja as they looked at her.

"Run." she growled under her breath to Squad 7 and Kimura.

Then Mika turned her back on them and headed for the guards protecting the kidnapped Princess Koyuki.

Kakashi led the way through the enemy ninja, who were screaming that Mika had broke out again. He was indeed worried about Sango because even with her training from the Fourth Hokage and the demon, she could be taken out be a large number of these Jounins. She was still young, and yet…

"Hey!!! Where the hell are you going?!!!" someone demanded, grabbing Kakashi roughly by the shoulder.

Not sparing a moment to lie to this fool, Kakashi swung around and punched the ninja square in the jaw. The blow caused the man to fall backwards and hit his head on the hard ground-unconscious, but not dead. A smile formed on the Jounin's face when he saw that the person he had hit was Ryuta, who had left his post guarding Koyuki upon seeing the Leaf nin flee. With him down, that would be one less person to deal with.

_Sango, you better make it out in one piece,_ Kakashi thought as he and his squad continued to run for the elevator. _If you die now...then not only are we all doomed, but...If you die...I won't be able to tell you the truth. How will I be able to live with myself if you were to go? There were so many times that I wanted to tell you...so many missed opportunities..._

_But I have complete faith in you...Sango-chan. I believe that...we'll make it through this._

As that thought crossed his mind, Squad 7 and Kimura slipped into the elevator.

Sango surrendered herself completely to her demonic side. Mika tore countless men apart, causing blood to splatter everywhere. The taste of freedom after being stuck inside her host for so long was enough to make her kill everyone in sight. But she wouldn't do that. Her host had let her out for one reason and one reason alone, and if Mika didn't do what the human had asked of her, then there would be no freedom for the demon for many, many years. Mika did not like being cooped up for long periods of time without being able to kill something, so she regained her composure and prepared to carry out her mission, her reason for being released.

The guards within the room that Koyuki was being held broke like they were dolls. Mika nearly laughed at their weakness as she tossed the corpse bodies out at the ninja who were coming to fight her. How Kenji had thought these guys were worth his money, she'd never understand. She tore up the cavalry in a matter of seconds without receiving any major injuries. But she knew they were not the last of the threat. Her demonic picked up the sound of more charging feet heading her way.

_Hmm...Sounds like at least fifty ninja are coming for a challenge, _Mika thought with an evil smirk, licking the enemy blood from her paw. _The blood pumping through their veins just sounds so delicious. How much fun it is to play with these pathetic little mice...so easy they are to kill._

_**You know just as well as I do that you can't take on fifty ninja,**_ Sango muttered. _**Just get the princess and get out. Don't cause more trouble for us than you have to. I don't want to take my body back and find that I've got a huge gash across my stomach... again.**_

_You worry too much._

_**That's because I know you.**_

_...You never let me have any fun._

_**That's because if I let you have fun, all the people in Japan would be dead.**_

_...Not all of them...Just most of them._

_**Whatever. Just do your job and get out with Koyuki before it's too late.**_

Mika groaned, but decided not to argue with that meddling human a moment longer. Those stupid humans were getting closer by the second, and, as much as she hated to admit it, she wouldn't be able to take them on without risking harm to herself and Sango. So she would have to do the cowardly thing and run.

Koyuki's eyes widened in fear when she saw Mika. The demon was used to that look; she'd been getting it for many centuries. Everyone she'd ever encountered had been afraid of her, save a few wanna-be heroes. Those fools had fallen at her claws…but one girl had not. She had taken away Mika's freedom by sealing the demon away within herself. At first, Mika had been very angry with the girl, but in time her anger died down and she found that she admired and respected the girl. Not exactly _attached _to her, but close.

"Yeah, yeah. I know I'm scary." Mika grumbled as she used a claw to cut Koyuki's restraints. "But I'm here to save you, to bring you to Kakashi and the others. So you have a choice to make, Princess. You either come with the giant scary cat demon…or you stay and have a ton of building material fall on your head when Kakashi blows this dump. If your choice is choice A, then get on my back. If your choice is choice B, then get into a comfortable position for death."

The princess was shocked to hear Mika talk at first. But when she realized that the demon was there to help, all the fear left her eyes. Well, at least, the fear of Mika. That was replaced by the fear of death...another thing the demon had seen in the eyes of many humans. They tended to reach for life and flee from death, if it was possible.

Koyuki was no different. Without another moment's hesitation, the princess climbed onto Mika's back. She was on securely just as the fifty ninja reached the doorway.

"Hold on tight. It's gonna be a bumpy ride." Mika told the princess before charging up the wall.

Mika burst through the ceiling into the workplace above, ignoring the weapons being tossed into her fur by the ninja below. Koyuki held on tightly to her fur as the cat demon raced through the building. Many people who worked on this floor screamed shrilly upon seeing her, and others fainted straightaway. Mika smirked, wondering what they thought of their boss now that they knew there had been something going on downstairs that dealt with a cat demon.

She was just about to burst through the one wall that would bring her outside when Sango spoke to her again.

_**Don't leave yet.**_

_Why the hell not?!!! I've done what you asked of me!!! I'm not going to risk my ass in here any longer!!! So unless you're giving me permission to kill everyone in sight, shut up!!!_ Mika snapped.

_**There's someone else I want you to save.**_

_Hell no!!! I'm not a rescue demon!!! I'm a killer!!! And I'm leaving!!!_

_**But Mika-!**_

Before Sango could say another word, Mika burst through the wall. The sun beat down on her as she ran from the building, leaving that hellhole behind her. She had to find Kakashi so he could blow that place up, and quick before Sango forced her to turn back. She sniffed out his scent and ran in that direction, ignoring the annoying voice in her head and the person pulling on her fur.

"Mission accomplished." Mika muttered, coming to a stop in front of the Leaf nin.

* * *

As soon as Mika had appeared, Kakashi pushed the trigger that would detonate all the bombs throughout Kenji's workplace. There was a loud explosion, and they heard what sounded like a building falling in on itself. Sakura had her back turned to the scene, not because she wasn't prepared to go in there, but because she knew what was happening to the people inside right now.

The explosion had caused some people to turn into 'pink mist' (it's when you blow up so quickly that there's nothing really left of you but a splash of stuff). The building's collapse would crush the unlucky ones to death. She didn't know how long it would take to kill them that way, but there was no doubt that dying that way would be painful. And the innocent people on the ground level and up…they didn't need to die. Some of them were now pink mist, others were being crushed, and the ones higher than ground level could fall through the floor and die from the fall.

All this death was affecting her, even if some of those dying were bad people. Sakura couldn't stop herself from shedding a few tears as she thought about the pain of all the people in that collapsing building. She was ashamed of her tears; a kunoichi wasn't supposed to cry or show emotion. It was a sign of weakness in the eyes of the shinobi world. But she was still a girl, and therefore she was not hardened enough to follow that rule, not strong enough to watch others die before her eyes without shedding a tear.

She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders, and looked up into a pair of beautiful onyx eyes. Sasuke, who had undone the girly jutsu for good now, had seen her looking away, and he had come over to comfort her. How amazing he was to her now that his feelings had been made clear! He worried about her before anything else anymore. She felt slightly better with him holding her, but the tears refused to stop flowing. Sasuke didn't mind; he pulled her close and offered Sakura a shoulder to cry on.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Sasuke." Sakura sobbed into his shirt. "…I know that…I shouldn't cry and all…but…not everyone in that building deserved to die…"

"I know, Sakura. I know." Sasuke whispered, trying to be comforting. "But there was no way to get them out without attracting attention from Kenji. I wish we could have saved them, but it's too late now. I'm sorry."

"Mika could have saved more people." Sango, who had taken over her body again, grumbled, clearly pissed at someone. "But she was too fucking stubborn to follow my orders. I wanted her to save one more person, but hell no! She's a damn killer, and couldn't risk that reputation to save another live! Damn demons…they should all just go to Hell and stay there and leave us humans the fuck alone."

Naruto winced upon hearing her curse at demons. Kyuubi felt the same, being a 'damn demon' that she wanted to stay in Hell. True, all demons did was kill when released, but those sealed in humans were more tamed than those left running free. Kyuubi knew who deserved to die and who didn't really need to…Not that it mattered anymore. Naruto made all the decisions, regardless of whether or not it was the smart thing to do. Just because one of the weaker demons screwed up didn't mean Sango had to curse _all_ demons. That was just wrong.

_Oh, shut it, Furball!_ Naruto growled when Kyuubi complained.

_**No mortal tells me what to do! **_Kyuubi roared. Then he continued to rant. _**Sango is just like every other mortal! Judgmental! Judgmental of demons, especially! It's not like demons judge all mortals on what one does! If one mortal is really stupid, we don't come to the conclusion that all mortals are stupid! So that Sango person has no right to-!**_

_All right, all right! I get it! Now shut it before I get the exorcist on you!_

"It doesn't matter what Mika could have done. What matters now is the mission. We must kill any of the ninja that survived the explosion and building collapse." Kakashi remarked. "Sakura. You, Naruto, and Sasuke will protect the princess. Any of the ninja that survived will want to get her back, even if Kenji is dead. Sango, Kimura, and I will scout the building to look for them before they can get to you. Beware, we may not find them quickly enough, so keep your guard up. The reinforcements will be arriving soon. Until they do, don't die! Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!" the Genins chorused.

"Good! Now let's move!"

The Jounins disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving Squad 7's Genins and Koyuki standing out in the open. The trio formed a triangle around her, with Sasuke in the front and Sakura and Naruto standing at the back. Each had a kunai drawn, ready for anything.

_All we have to do is protect Koyuki from any ninja that sneaks past Kakashi-sensei and the others. That shouldn't be too hard,_ Sakura thought, scanning the area for any sign of an enemy. _Besides, I've got Sasuke and Naruto to back me up, and they're the best ninja of our age. I have nothing to worry about, cuz with a squad like this, no one's gonna die!_

Wishful thinking.

Without warning, someone appeared behind Sakura. She turned to attack him, but he was too fast for her. Instead of going after the princess, he grabbed Sakura around the waist and pulled her close to him so her back was against his front. He stole the kunai from her hand, tossing it aside. Then he pulled her right arm behind her back and restrained it, knowing very well that if he hadn't done so he could have been killed. Her other arm soon followed. Sakura fought him, but it seemed futile.

Sasuke and Naruto were now fully aware of what was happening to Sakura and took up their battle formation. Koyuki stood behind them, too shocked by the current events to speak (isn't that how she always is). Sakura felt so helpless, even though she knew she was strong. Something about this guy had weakened her. But what? He had gotten her so fast that she hadn't gotten a good look at him. But from the looks on her comrade's faces, she knew he was familiar…too familiar…

"Let her go, Sousuke!" Naruto and Sasuke shouted in unison.

Sousuke laughed evilly. "Let her go? Why would I do that when I've worked so hard to get her? She's mine and mine alone! You can't have her!"

"I'm not yours, you sick bastard!" Sakura screamed, fighting against him again. "I'll never be yours! I'm Sasuke's, and no one else's! I'd rather die than be your girl! No, wait…I'd rather be Orochimaru's bitch than be with you, cuz that would be far worse than death!"

Sakura felt her left arm being transferred into his other hand so that both of her arms were being held in one of his hands. His free hand grabbed her hair and pulled it hard, causing her great pain in her head. Even though her hair was shorter than the last time something like this had happened (Kin did it during the Chuunin exams), it did not change the fact that her hair was a weak spot. She had to bite her tongue to keep from crying out in pain.

"I'd rethink my words if I were you, my dear." Sousuke whispered in her ear.

"Get your hands off of her right now!" Sasuke ordered, becoming more pissed by the second.

Sousuke glanced over at the Uchiha and smirked. "Oh, so this is the great Sasuke that you belong to? He doesn't look so tough to me. In fact, I believe your Sasuke was a girl before, wasn't he? Why would a girl as beautiful as you want to be with a girl?"

"It was genjutsu, you moron!" Sakura hissed. "I'm not gay!"

He tugged tighter at her insult, and Sakura almost lost it with that. But she was strong enough not to scream; she would not give him that satisfaction.

"If you really wanted her, you'd have killed me by now." Sousuke stated. "Are you weakened because you're seeing her in pain? Are you afraid that you might accidentally kill us both? Do your knees tremble at the thought of losing her, and is your heart racing now because she's in peril?" The Jounin looked Sasuke over with that evil smirk still plastered to his face. "It doesn't look like it. You look perfectly fine to me, of just a bit mad. But that is proof enough. I'll take her off your hands."

"…You will do no such thing. You have no idea how much I want to save her right now. You don't know how I feel right now." Sasuke growled.

"Have you claimed her to be yours yet?" Sousuke asked. "Or have you not gotten passed kissing yet?"

"We're only preteens! It's wrong for people our age to do more than that! Besides, I don't think _children_ should be having children!" Naruto shouted. "And why the hell am I telling you this?!! I should be killing you right now!"

"You can't kill me. I've done a jutsu that prevents you from moving from where you're standing now. So you're out of luck." Sousuke boasted.

"Damn it!" the boys exclaimed.

"Now, since she isn't technically yours, I think I'll claim her as mine." Sousuke said, eyeing Sakura in a way that made her uncomfortable. "I don't care if she's 15 or 12; she's ripe for the taking. I love everything about her. Her beautiful pink hair," at this, he pulled on her hair again, "her soft pale skin," he released her hair and stroked her arm, "her lovely body, her mesmerizing green eyes…_everything_ about her is perfectly appealing to my eyes. I wonder how appealing she'll taste."

Without giving Sakura a moment to process what he had just said, Sousuke did something really disgusting, something someone like Orochimaru would do. He licked Sakura, placing his tongue at her throat and going up to her cheek. She shuddered, disgusted by him and feeling so violated that she just wanted to take a million showers to get him off of her. Sasuke, Naruto, and even Koyuki didn't seem too thrilled to be watching this happen to her. But they couldn't do anything as long as Sousuke had that jutsu on them.

"Delicious." Sousuke commented, looking straight at Sasuke as he spoke.

"…You're sick…" Sasuke muttered.

Sousuke ignored him. "Now, the question is…Do I kill you guys now…or wait until I claim Sakura as my own?"

He pulled out three kunai knives-one for Sasuke, one for Naruto, and one for Koyuki. Fear flashed through Sakura as she realized he was going to kill her comrades. Her friend…her charge (that's Koyuki)…her lover…Sousuke was going to take them from her before doing Kami knows what to her. She couldn't let that happen…she couldn't let Sasuke, or even Naruto and Koyuki, be killed. She'd rather have Sousuke do whatever he wanted than watch them die.

"…Don't do it, Sousuke." Sakura said, barely speaking loud enough to be heard. "…Please…don't kill them. I'll…I won't fight you anymore. You can do whatever you want to me…but you have to let them live. If you so much as look like you're going to throw those knives…I'll bite my tongue and drown in my own blood. Then what would you have gained from all of this? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. What do you think of that?"

She didn't sound as strong as she wanted to; her voice shook from the wave of emotion she was feeling. But she wasn't lying. If he killed them, she would drown in her own blood so he wouldn't have anything to show for his dastardly deeds. She wouldn't think of the pain or what he could do to her body after death; she just thought about what was best for her comrades. Sakura's safety didn't matter anymore. Her chances of escaping it unscathed had disappeared the moment Sousuke first touched her.

"…Well, I don't want you to kill yourself…So I suppose I'll let them leave alive." Sousuke grumbled after some time to think it over. He put the knives away.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, but his glare softened when he noticed Sakura staring at him. Her emerald eyes were filled with tears and fear. He wished he could make both go away, but that was impossible as long as Sousuke kept his jutsu up. There would be no saving her now. She knew it, and as much as he hated to admit it, so did he.

"…Sakura, you don't have to do this." he murmured.

"Yes I do, Sasuke. It's the only choice I have. I'm sorry." Sakura told him, her voice still shaking. "Don't come after me once he takes me away. It'll only get you killed. Protect Koyuki, and try not to think of me. Just remember what I feel for you will never fade."

Sasuke had always thought Sakura was strong, but now she seemed stronger than ever. He felt tears starting to spill from his eyes as he thought about what he was going to lose now. Sakura had been the best thing to ever happen to him, and now she was being taken from him. First he'd lost his family to his brother, and now he was losing his heart to someone who was obsessed with Sakura. And just like with the Uchiha Massacre, there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Sousuke roughly tossed Sakura over his shoulder, still managing to keep a firm grip on her killer right arm. He smirked evilly at the three people in front of him one last time before disappearing in a puff of smoke. With him gone, the jutsu was lifted. Sasuke and Naruto could move again.

"We've gotta go save her!" Naruto exclaimed. "We can't just let that sick bastard rape her! If he does that, she'll never be the same! Never! She'll be…horrified for life!"

"Don't you get it, Naruto?!!! He took her from us _forever_!!! He won't just rape her once and then throw her back to us!!! He's going to keep her at his disposal until one of them dies!!!" Sasuke shouted, trying to get it into Naruto's thick skull. _And I'm betting that if Sakura has to go through that even once...she'll kill herself...I know her well enough to know she won't let him get what he wants. She's probably already planning her death,_ he thought, the tears still falling.

"I know that! But we can't just stand here! We've gotta go after him!" Naruto yelled.

"…Sousuke's a Jounin from this village. You saw how quickly he disabled Sakura. She herself told us that going after him would only get us killed." Sasuke muttered, too sad and depressed by current events to yell anymore. "…But I've got a plan."

"What are you proposing, Teme?" Naruto demanded.

"You protect the princess. _I_ will go save Sakura."

"WHAT?!!! That'll just get _you_ killed!!! Two people stand a better chance!!! I'm going with you!!!"

"No. Our mission is to protect Koyuki. You could protect her well enough with your Shadow Clones until the reinforcements arrive. I'll go find Sakura. When the reinforcements do arrive, tell Kakashi to track me down. I'll try to hold off Sousuke as long as possible."

"But…Sasuke, what if you end up…getting killed…and Sakura kills herself?"

"…Look, Sakura sacrificed herself for us. Out of the two of us, I have the most to lose if she dies because I…I'm in love with her. I'd gladly get myself killed if it meant that she would be safe. If she and I both pass on…we'll be together…But you'll be alone, and I'm sorry. But that's just a risk we're going to have to take. I'm not doing this because I want you to be alone. I'm doing this because I don't want to be alone, and I don't want Sakura to be hurt. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded. Sasuke turned to Koyuki, who had been silent this whole time.

"Do I have your permission to pursue Sousuke?" he asked.

"…You've saved my life so many times. The only payment I've ever given you has been money. If you desire to save Sakura from that bastard, I won't stop you." Koyuki stated. "Because no one deserves to be treated that way…No one."

"Thank you."

With that, Sasuke took off at inhuman speed to the place he was sure Sousuke was taking Sakura.

* * *

_A/N: I can't believe what I've turned Sousuke into. I made him so disgusting I can't even look at myself anymore. He's worse than Orochimaru! But that's just my opinion. I want to know what you think. Just hit the review button and tell me what you think of this chapter. It'll only take a few seconds; that's not asking too much, is it?_


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: Here's the next terrifying chapter with the very creepy Sousuke in it. This story isn't doing as well as it could, but oh well...Thanks for coming this far in my story. Please continue reading._

* * *

Chapter 15

Sakura found herself in Sousuke's house for the second time since she had come to the Stone village, only the circumstances were a whole lot worse. There were no kind intentions for her anymore; it would only be the rough manhandling and violations of her body now. There was a way out of it, but she couldn't do that at the moment, or he might go back and kill Sasuke. She had to wait awhile before heading for that way out.

Sousuke had thrown her onto his bed after restraining her with rope. He slipped into the bathroom, muttering something about protection as he went, leaving Sakura alone for a few moments. The silence was deafening, but was a thousand times more pleasant than the presence of Sousuke. Tears were still falling down her cheeks as she thought about everything she was going to lose and what was going to happen. Mostly, she thought about the pain this was going to cause Sasuke, the sufferer of a thousand tragedies. He had already been through so much, and this would just make it worse.

_Poor Sasuke...I hope he'll recover...But I doubt he will,_ she thought, looking towards the window in Sousuke's room. _He just better not come to rescue me...Sousuke will no doubt kill him then, and there'd be nothing I could do to stop him._

Her inner self was silent; she had nothing to say. Apparently, Inner Sakura had accepted their fate and decided it was best to go along with it without giving Sakura a false hope.

"So how's my little cherry blossom?" Sousuke asked as he came back into the room, a hideous smirk on his lips.

"…As well as one can expect a future rape victim to be." Sakura muttered, keeping her eyes on the window and not looking at Sousuke.

"Oh, there's no need for that kind of talk, my dear Sakura. I'm just doing what every man does when he wants to claim a woman as his own so that no one else takes her from him. It's not rape at all." Sousuke stated, his voice smooth. "I'm doing it because I love you and I don't want that creep with gender problems to have you instead. I love you more than that she-male could ever hope to do."

"…You have a funny way…of showing how much you love me." Sakura grumbled, flinching as she felt him place a hand on her shoulder. "And call it what you want. Rape is rape, no matter what."

"You'll think differently once it's done, lovely. You'll see." Sousuke said reassuringly in his own creepy way.

"…You don't have any shame about raping a child? Really?" Sakura was astounded by this guy's dark heart, and his revolting behavior. No wonder he had never had a girlfriend.

"I don't see you as a child; I see you as a woman who is mine." Sousuke replied. "I have no shame for anything I do, including getting rid of Squad 78."

"You _killed _them?!!! How could you?!!!" Sakura screamed, wishing she could free herself and punch the creep in the face.

"No, no. You misunderstand. I didn't kill them. I locked them away a few months ago." Sousuke explained. "They're locked in the basement of Koi and Teppei's house. I feed them regularly, but I make sure to keep them in line so they won't escape. Koi's become especially difficult ever since she had that damned baby."

"She had a baby?!!!" Sakura knew that Koi had been pregnant when she disappeared, but this was still surprising. Everything Sousuke was telling her wasn't supposed to be true. Squad 78 was supposed to be dead. How could they have been confined for that long without anyone suspecting their whereabouts?

"Enough about them. It's time for us to end words and move on to…other things."

Sakura was roughly turned around and her lips were forced against Sousuke's. Before this whole thing with Kenji, before she knew how evil Sousuke was, she might have kissed back, but now she'd rather kiss Orochimaru. He didn't try to make her kiss back; he just took charge and didn't care if she reacted. She felt him break her restraints, but his hands kept a firm grip on her wrists. There wasn't any way she could fight him right now. And she couldn't fight him, because if she lost he would go kill Sasuke. She couldn't have that.

He forced her to lie back on his bed, he remaining on top of her and his lips still upon hers. His grip tightened on her wrists, and she hissed slightly in pain. That slight opening of her mouth was all Sousuke needed to get his tongue in there. Before she could stop him, he was kissing her more passionately than before. It was sickening.

Once again, he transferred both of her wrists into just one of his hands, leaving the other free for whatever he wanted to use it for. She knew what was going to come next, and closed her eyes. She didn't want to see anymore. The pain would be too much for her. But she couldn't bite her tongue with his still in her mouth. She'd have to wait for an opening, a free moment where he was too busy violating her in other areas to stop her from drowning in her own blood.

Until then, she would try to ignore what he was doing to her body.

* * *

Sasuke found Sousuke's house a few minutes after they had gone inside. His fury was so great he was shaking, and it took all his willpower to stop him from charging into the house and trying to kill Sousuke. He knew he was up against a Jounin, and going in there without a plan would be the death of him. He needed to calm down and think. Anger wouldn't get him anywhere.

Going after Sakura alone wasn't the smartest thing that Sasuke had done. But he couldn't have dragged Yukie into this; she wasn't even supposed to be in the Stone village. If Naruto had come, the princess would have, too, and there would just be another possible casualty there. So going in alone was his only option if he didn't want to risk more lives. True, he could die without another hand, but it was better to have one casualty than three.

He found the window that was attached to Sousuke's room, but didn't really look inside. Sousuke had…_intentions_…for Sakura that might have been well underway right then, and he really wasn't interested in seeing that stuff. Sasuke didn't really want to see what that bastard was doing to Sakura because that would just bring his anger back and make him do something irrational. That wouldn't get him anywhere but dead. But he knew he would see _something_ when he went in to save Sakura, but he didn't want to see more than he had to.

When he finally did cast his gaze within the house, he saw Sousuke on top of a half-naked Sakura. He didn't like what was happening, and soon he would attempt to stop it. But he didn't let his eyes linger on Sousuke for more than a second; his eyes focused on poor Sakura's face. She was crying more than he'd ever seen her do before. She looked like she'd do anything, _anything_, to get away from that position. Even though her eyes were closed, he could see her pain. It showed in every tear that fell. And she would do _anything_ to escape it…

Including kill herself.

Her threat to Sousuke if he killed her friends echoed through Sasuke's head: _"I'll bite my tongue and drown in my own blood."_ He knew she would do it then, and he knew that to escape the pain she was enduring, she would do it now.

He would have to save her before that could happen.

Sasuke withdrew a handful of kunai knives. One he held precariously in his hand, his insecurity due to his fear that he might miss and hit the wrong person. But an Uchiha didn't doubt his abilities; Sasuke was a natural-born genius. He could get Sousuke, no problem. The sick bastard was too preoccupied raping his girlfriend Sakura to be in ninja mood, anyway. That was about to change.

With a flick of the wrist, a kunai knife went flying through the window, shattering it into a million pieces. Sousuke turned around to see the cause, but was too slow to stop that kunai knife from going into his shoulder. The Jounin hissed in pain from his new wound, and Sasuke took advantage of his distraction to jump through the window and kick the man away from Sakura. He almost succeeded, but Sousuke caught his foot and pushed him back.

Sakura, clad in only her undergarments, was still too shocked to do anything. Sousuke didn't have her arms in a firm grip anymore, but he was still there in front of her. Her eyes weren't closed due to the break-in of her boyfriend; they were wide in fear for Sasuke's life. If they had been under different terms, she might have been embarrassed to be seen like that, but that wasn't how it was.

"…So…Come to be the hero, eh kid?" Sousuke taunted, smirking evilly as he stood up. Sasuke was grateful his pants were still on.

"Yeah, something to that effect." Sasuke muttered. "So why don't you make this easy on yourself and just hand her over before I really have to kick your ass."

Sousuke laughed, sounding hysterical as he did so. "And what? You'll let me walk away from this unscathed? Yeah, let me hand her right over…NOT! She's mine, you stupid bitch! And I'll make sure you regret not heeding her words and staying back. Because you're never gonna leave this place alive. I'm going to kill you."

"That may be true, but she's going to leave this place before you can lay another hand, or something worse, on her." Sasuke stated.

Before Sousuke could speak again, Sasuke threw the rest of the kunai knives at his adversary. The Jounin, for some reason, was not able to dodge all of them. Sasuke didn't mind the disadvantage; if it worked in his favor, hey, thanks for the extra help. The Jounin charged at him, and Sasuke quickly moved out of the way.

Sousuke was weaving signs, but Sasuke was one step ahead of him. Blue lightning chakra crackled in his hand as he moved at inhuman speed. He tried to make sure Sakura would not be affected by this jutsu, and he turned around to face the Jounin head on. Sousuke's jutsu was nearly done, but Sasuke was all but ready. He plunged the orb of chakra into Sousuke's stomach.

_CHIDORI!!!!_

Sousuke stumbled back into the bed, his head nearly landing in Sakura's lap. A smoking black spot showed where the orb had impacted his flesh, shining with all its ugliness. Sasuke walked over to his side, trying to determine whether or not his opponent was dead. Sakura was no indication; she was still too shocked and afraid to warn him of any danger. He leaned over to look at Sousuke's face.

Big mistake.

The Jounin reached up and grabbed Sasuke by his throat. Sasuke struggled a bit and tried to pry the man's grip from his neck, but no matter what he did, he couldn't get him off. Sousuke laughed hysterically at his weak attempt to be free, the man standing despite the burning and painful wound in his abdomen. It was an evil, sickening sound.

"You're a stupid little gender-confused boy, Sasuke. A real ninja knows better than to let his guard down around an enemy, even if his jutsu should be powerful enough to kill." Sousuke remarked, tightening his grip. "That was a nice little fight, but I have a girl to claim. So stop the struggle, little brat, and let me kill you quickly so I can get back to business. It's what's best for her; she deserves better than an idiot like you."

Sakura began to come to her senses around that time. She noticed her lack of clothing, but clothing nonetheless. That meant the evil deed had been interrupted. She noticed a few kunai knives scattered around the room. She noticed the shattered window. But those things weren't that important when she saw Sousuke standing in front of her, choking the life out of her Sasuke. He had come to save her, and now he was going to die.

Her Sasuke was going to die.

"She's mine, now and forever!" Sousuke boasted triumphantly.

"…Sakura…" Sasuke whispered as it became harder and harder to breathe; he felt so lightheaded.

Her arms weren't restrained anymore. She had her power back now.

Within one single second, Sakura had drawn back her fist, collecting a fiery chakra on her arm like she had done many times since coming to the Stone village. She released it, and it collided with the back of Sousuke's head. A loud cracking echoed through the room, blood splattering everywhere due to the force of the blow. Sousuke let go of Sasuke, who fell to the floor, and the Jounin collapsed onto the floor; unconscious, and not too close to death.

"I'll never be yours, you sick bastard!" Sakura growled, and without hesitation she set the body on fire with chakra.

Once Sousuke had been reduced to nothing but ashes, Sakura broke down and cried. Really cried. Like out loud and full of emotion. No silence anymore. She had been silent long enough.

Sasuke recovered from nearly being choked to death and came over to her side. She was trembling terribly, and Sasuke wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and comfort her. But would she want any guy touching her after what had almost happened? If he had been in her position, he wouldn't.

"…Sakura…"

"Oh, Sasuke!" she cried hysterically, thrusting herself into his arms. She didn't say anymore, or if she did he couldn't understand because her sobs drowned out all words. He held her close as they both sat on the bed of their former enemy.

They stayed that way for a few minutes, not another word spoken. Neither felt like speaking, anyway. Too much had happened in so little time, they could hardly express their feelings with words. Sasuke just sat there, rubbing Sakura's pale shoulder in a comforting manner, while Sakura wept to release her pain. Just the company of the other was enough for them. It could have ended a lot worse.

"…Sasuke…" Sakura whispered once she could find her voice again. Sobs still escaped her throat, but they were a bit more controlled. "…They're alive…"

"Who's alive?" Sasuke asked, slightly confused.

"…Akira…Teppei…Takashi…Koi and her baby…They're all alive…" Sakura stated. "…Sousuke locked them in the basement of Teppei's house…They've been there for months, but they're not dead…"

Sasuke was speechless. He had been in that house a few times since coming to the Stone village, and they had been under his feet the whole time. Why Sousuke had done it, he didn't care. All that mattered was that they weren't dead. No one was dead, not even the Uchiha for his recklessness.

Sakura looked down at herself and, despite her flow of emotions, turned a bright shade of red. Sasuke couldn't help but crack a smile at her embarrassment.

"…I think…I think I need to put something on…" Sakura muttered, more embarrassed than sad at the moment. "…But…before I do that…I need to get that bastard off of me…Do you mind if I hop in the shower really quick? I've been violated, and I need to get him off of me."

"I understand. Do what you need to."

Sasuke reluctantly released Sakura. She grabbed her clothes off the floor, inspected their current state of being, and noticed that her dress had been pretty much torn to rags. Her shorts were in better condition, since she knew they had just been slipped off her legs. But she couldn't just go around without a top. She turned to Sasuke.

"…Could you…go to Takashi's house…and…you know…get me a top?" she asked politely, although still embarrassed.

"Sure." He was gone in the blink of an eye and back even quicker. He handed her the shirt she had worn as Akira- a black shirt with spidery sleeves. She didn't care about what clothes she wore, just as long as she got some on. With a quick thank you, she ran into Sousuke's bathroom and closed the door.

* * *

After all the enemies were confirmed to be dead (which was after the reinforcements had come, by the way), Sango looked among the debris of the building of which she had been in for over two years. Kakashi wasn't far behind her; he was delaying the search of his students by hanging around her. Naruto and a few other Genins from the Leaf village had gone to find Sasuke and Sakura instead, so he wasn't really needed there. He felt more needed here.

Sango didn't know why she was looking. The person she had wanted to save would have been long dead and crushed. It made no sense, it wasn't the least bit rational, but she did it, anyway. She wanted to see her friend one last time, even if it was on the terms that one of them was dead.

She found the bodies of several business people that had been on the ground level, including that of Kenji himself. He was still holding his cane with the ruby on the top, but it wasn't as perfect as it had once been. The ruby was now chipped and cracked; it faired better than Kenji did now. She pushed him aside and dug further into the pile.

At last she found who she was looking for. Her friend, the lavender-haired secretary who had hated Kenji as much as she did. The tears began to fall as Sango pulled her friend from the rubble.

"Kora…" she murmured, voice shaking with emotion.

Kora wasn't as crushed as Sango had expected. She was one of the lucky bodies. But she was still dead. Her glazed over eyes told as much. Sango couldn't stop herself from crying as she held the dead Kora close to her person. Kora had been her only friend in the Stone village, the only person who cared what happened to her. Sango had connected to Kora on a level higher than any other, and had trusted her enough to tell her about Sango's real mission. And now she was…

Sango felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up. Kakashi was there, glancing down at her and the body she now held. She saw pity in his eyes, as both were still exposed from his battles. She didn't want anyone's pity. She wanted for her friend to be alive.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Kakashi said.

"…Don't be. It's not your fault she's dead." Sango grumbled, putting her friend's body back down. "…It's all Mika's fault. She could have saved her, if only she weren't so selfish and arrogant."

"She's a demon. Demons don't really have hearts." Kakashi remarked as Sango got to her feet. "But humans do. And if you need someone to talk to, I'm always here."

"Thanks for the offer, Kakashi, but I'm not the type of girl that lets her emotions show." Sango told him. "I'm not the kind that likes to talk, so if you'll excuse me, I'd like to start for home now. I'm tired of this damned place, and would like to leave it as soon as possible."

"I understand your dislike of this place, but there is still much we have to do here."

"There's still much _you_ have to do here. My orders from the Third Hokage were to stay here until Kenji and his organization were destroyed. That has been done, and therefore my mission is complete. If the new Hokage has a problem with me leaving without you guys, then she can take her problem and shove it."

Sango briskly strode past Kakashi, angry. Angry at Mika for not giving her a chance to rescue Kora, angry at Kakashi for not leaving her alone, angry at herself for being seen with tears in her eyes by a man she respected…She was just plain angry at the world. But before she could get too far away from the Jounin, she felt him grab her hand. She turned around and prepared to snap at him, but he beat her to the punch.

"Don't snap at me just yet, Sango." Kakashi said, an almost pleading tone in his voice. "There's something I have to tell you…Something I've been meaning to tell you for awhile now."

There was something in his voice that made Sango's anger recede a bit, but also made her groan. Whatever he had to say couldn't be that good, especially if he had that tone in his voice, a tone she had never heard him use before.

"Sango, I was really worried about you when you took to rescuing Yukie on your own. I feared I wouldn't ever see you again, and that I'd never be able to tell you how I really felt. Thinking that hurt me more than a thousand kunai knives could ever have done." Kakashi stated. "It hurt so much because I care about you…No. That's not it. Those aren't the right words…"

The female ANBU member turned red. She knew what he was about to say, and that made her heart skip a beat. As much as her mind wanted to pass it off as false girly hopes, her heart knew the truth. So did Mika, but Sango was ignoring her.

Kakashi took both of Sango's hands in his and his gaze met hers. "Sango, I love you. I just hope my love will not go unnoticed or untaken."

"Oh, Kakashi…" Sango murmured, a smile on her lips. "I love you, too."

Upon saying these words, Sango reached up and pulled Kakashi's mask down. He made no move to stop her, as he would have if it had been anyone else. She took no notice of how handsome his face really was; as soon as she found his lips hers were on them. They kissed passionately, holding each other close like they were afraid that the other would change their mind and run away. They would have liked nothing better than to remain that way forever, but air became scarce and they were forced to pull apart.

"You don't just love me because of my womanly features, do you?" Sango asked with a huge grin.

"Heavens no. Who do you take me for, Gai?" Kakashi teased.

* * *

Sakura remained in the shower for over an hour. Sasuke knew why she was taking so long, so he didn't mind much. She had, after all, just been violated like no person, especially no _child_, should ever be. She was doing what any person in her position would have done; she was trying to rid herself of the sick feeling that Sousuke had caused her to feel.

Naruto had shown up with a few other Genins from their village some time after Sakura's departure into the bathroom. At first, everyone but Naruto had been staring at Sasuke like he was the eighth wonder of the world. But after some explanation, their questioning stares went away and were replaced with concern for Sakura. Sasuke had been forced to, with help from Naruto, fill them in on the details of the mission and the creep that was Sousuke. Now they all worried about Sakura's state of mind.

Hinata, being the only girl in the group who got along best with Sakura, was asked to go in and check on Sakura. She came back a few minutes later, shaking her head.

"Still in the shower?" Ino asked. She was actually being nice for a change, and not all over Sasuke. It had been made clear where his heart was.

"…Yes…" Hinata replied, stepping over the pile of ashes that was once Sousuke to join the others on the bed. "…She's…she's still crying, too…Lots and lots of crying…I tried to talk to her…but…but…she wasn't feeling up to it."

"Can't really blame her for that. After all that's happened, there's only one person at fault, but he's dead now." Shikamaru muttered, still very bored despite recent events. "All we can do is wait for her to recover, I suppose."

"She won't recover that quickly." Neji remarked. "Rape isn't something someone gets over in a few minutes. It takes time, and lots of it. Sakura might never be the same again, but it's hardly her fault. She did what she thought was best for her comrades. She was willing to sacrifice herself to that sick bastard to save the lives of Naruto and Sasuke. Her selflessness is greater than anyone else's that I've ever seen. Even Tenten isn't like her."

"If it weren't for that damned jutsu, we could have killed him before all of this!" Naruto hissed. "If we weren't so weak, Sakura would be just fine! This is all our fault, Sasuke! If we weren't such weak _kids_," he spat the word as if it were poison, "we would have been able to save her! Why are we so weak?!!! We failed Sakura! We failed her!"

"Naruto, it's hardly your fault. Sousuke was just stronger than you, as to be expected of a ninja at Jounin level." Shikamaru stated. "Don't be so hard on yourself. Sasuke almost got killed, even when he'd gotten the bastard with his Chidori. It took Sakura getting him by surprise to bring him down in the end. Jounins are just tough enemies for Genins."

"It really shouldn't have come down to Sakura, though." Sasuke muttered.

"Sasuke, please. We know you made a mistake, but that wasn't really your fault. You are a Genin; Genins don't have the experience to realize that looking at a supposed dead guy is a deadly mistake. Don't be so hard on yourself." Ino said.

The Uchiha really didn't believe her. The room went silent after Ino's last comment, no one really thinking of anything appropriate to say. The atmosphere was dreary due to what had happened not long ago in that room. Sakura's torn dress was still on the ground where she had dropped it earlier, evidence that this wasn't just some twisted nightmare that Sasuke's mind had conjured up. He and Naruto both blamed themselves for Sakura's pain, even if it wasn't really their faults. They might have been able to do something had they not been so slow to respond. As Naruto had pointedly said, "If we weren't such weak _kids_, we would have been able to save her."

"So…do you think that the Stone village will finally become an ally of Konoha?" Shikamaru inquired. "After all, we did team up there for awhile to take out that Kenji guy and his ninja. That should start fixing the broken bonds between us, shouldn't it? You don't just work with a village, or in this case two, and let that go by without a bit of change. Something's gotta happen."

"That might happen. You never know. Village leaders have pride they hate to diminish by gaining allies." Neji pointed out.

"Still, those ninja couldn't have been taken down so efficiently without help from the Sand and Leaf villages. The Stone village has got to take notice of that. Right now, they're kinda in our debt for having that secret spy mission going on that led to the defeat of the businessman Kenji. They owe us big time." Ino commented.

"You're right. But village leaders can be pretty arrogant when it comes to people from other villages doing the work his village is supposed to be doing." Neji muttered.

Without warning, the door to the bathroom opened. All talking silenced as Sakura, fully dressed now, walked into the room. She managed a smile when she saw the group assembled; she had not expected others to come to her and Sasuke. They returned her smile awkwardly, and she knew that they knew. The story had had to be told, anyway.

A few awkward moments passed by. Some people shuffled their feet, feeling unneeded in that room because there was no point in them sticking around. Ino was the first to stand up and say something about leaving.

"See you around, Fore- uh, I mean, Sakura." she murmured, hugging Sakura before jumping back out the window.

"Yeah, we should probably get going, too." Shikamaru said, he, Neji, and Hinata all getting up, too. They group-hugged Sakura. "Bye."

"…Good luck, Sakura…" Hinata whispered.

Then they, too, were gone.

Sakura looked at the two boys left in the room. Naruto wasn't looking at her, and she knew right away that he was blaming himself for what had nearly happened. Sasuke was, too, but he was looking at her at least. She came over to the bedside and sat down between them, managing her most cheery face possible although it was obvious that she had been crying. She took Naruto's hands in hers, but he still didn't look at her.

"Naruto, it's not your fault." she stated.

He didn't reply.

"You didn't almost rape me. Neither did Sasuke. You both did what you could. You need not feel responsible for the pain that was inflicted upon me." Sakura continued.

Still no reply.

"Naruto, Sasuke. Please listen to me, and at least let me know that you hear my words. I hold you unaccountable for what almost happened to me. Neither of you did anything to me. The one person responsible for any of this is a pile of ashes right now. So stop blaming yourself, because it's stupid to do so." Sakura remarked.

"…But Sakura…" Naruto began to protest as he turned to face her.

"…We didn't do anything to…" Sasuke started to put in.

"But Sakura nothing. And don't you start with the 'we didn't do anything to save you' crap either, Sasuke. You both wanted to help me, and one of you almost died for me. I'm sure you would have been there to fight him, too, Naruto. But someone had to watch Yukie. You both did what you could, and that's good enough for me. That should be good enough for you, too. So if you don't cheer up and stop blaming yourselves, I'm going to kick your asses."

Both Genins from Squad 7 cracked a small smile at her threat. Sure, things would probably never be as they once were, but they were going to keep them as normal as possible.

Full of threats and happiness.

* * *

_Epilogue_

Squad 78 had indeed been locked in the basement. They had been released shortly after the last scene. Although a bit thinner, lacking chakra, and with one more than before, the squad seemed to be fairing well. Koi and Teppei were close, and were probably brought closer together by their beautiful baby girl named Anzu Otani. Teppei was definitely the father, for Anzu had his eyes and nose while the rest of her facial features matched those of her mother. They were grateful to finally be free.

Akira held Sasuke in contempt for the death of her sister. Sasuke didn't blame her, but didn't want her to hate him forever. He apologized and they had eventually engaged in a chat about Shibiki's last moments and the kind of girl she had been. Akira said that she would have probably gone out like that, and agreed not to send her dark 'friends' after Sasuke. Friends they were not, but allies they would be.

The Stone village had become an ally of Konoha and Suna after the battle against Kenji. It wasn't a willing one, but what could the Tsuchikage do?

Kakashi and Sango officially began dating once they returned to Konoha. It lasted about a few months before he proposed. She just turned 21 on that day, and had eagerly accepted. They were in love obviously, but there were rumors about a pregnancy being involved. Those rumors were tracked down to a jealous Gai, who had been beaten into a bloody pulp when Kakashi found him. The rumor was proven to be false.

Kimura remained in the Stone village, although he kept in contact with his new friend Kakashi via mail. He got a new set of Genins shortly after the Leaf nin's departure. He doubted he would ever have anyone as crazy as Sousuke on his squad ever again, but just in case, he kept a close eye on his students. Two boys and a girl this time.

As for Sasuke and Sakura, they remained happily together, despite the craziness they both had to endure since he had first returned to Konoha in the guise as a girl. They would have a happy life unaffected by anything else…until their next mission came! =)

* * *

_A/N: THE END! Wow! Weirdness! What did you think of it? Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Please! Thank you for reading!_


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